(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

West Indies' Andre Fletcher capped a day of high-stakes drama at the first-ever DP World ILT20 Player Auction, emerging as the most expensive player with a whopping price tag of $260,000.

MI Emirates outbid rivals to secure the explosive batter for a fourth consecutive season with the franchise. Close behind was England's Scott Currie, snapped up by Dubai Capitals for $250,000.

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Meanwhile, India's decorated off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin failed to fetch any buyers and went unsold in the auction.

After announcing his retirement from the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) in August, Ashwin decided to embark on overseas adventures and registered his name for the auction.

Ashwin, who signed with Sydney Thunder for the Big Bash League (BBL) season 15 last month, entered the fray with a base price tag of US$120,000 but attracted no bidders after entering the fifth round of the auction.

England's Liam Dawson led the pack amongst the pacers acquired for $170,000 by Gulf Giants while Naveen

Haq was acquired for $100,000 by the MI Emirates.

UAE pacers were the flavour of the auction, with Junaid Siddique going to Sharjah Warriorz for $170,000 (Right-to-Match), making him their most expensive buy. Muhammad Rohid also drew a six-figure deal, going to MI Emirates for $140,000 (Right-to-Match), marking a massive milestone for UAE cricket.

Notably some of the standout performers from the DP World ILT20 Development Tournament also converted their success into franchise deals at the auction. UAE pacer Haider Razzaq, the leading wicket-taker in Sharjah Warriorz Development's title-winning campaign earlier this year, was purchased by Gulf Giants for $50,000. Player of the Tournament, Sanjay Pahal, an all-rounder who impressed throughout, was retained by Desert Vipers for $10,000. Raees Ahmed, who was amongst the top three run-getters, went back to Sharjah Warriorz at his base price of $10,000.

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders eagerly pursued Scotland's Brandon McMullen for $110,000, while also picking up Michael Pepper and Unmukt Chand at their base price of $40,000, along with England's George Garton for $10,000. Their Associate Nation pool was reinforced by Kuwait's Adnan Idrees ($10,000), while the UAE core featured Ibrar Ahmad ($22,000, RTM), Ajay Kumar ($10,000) and Abdul Manan Ali ($10,000).

Desert Vipers acquired Pakistan stars Fakhar Zaman and Naseem Shah at their base price of $80,000 apiece, along with Afghanistan leggie Qais Ahmed ($40,000). They also secured Scotland's Tom Bruce for $80,000 and brought in Pakistan's Hasan Nawaz at $40,000. Their Associate signings saw UAE keeper Vriitya Aravind ($10,000) join Bilal Tahir ($10,000), while Faisal Khan made history as the first Saudi Arabian player bought at the auction, picked up at his base price of $10,000.

Dubai Capitals followed their big splash for the young Currie by opting for experience. Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi and England's Tymal Mills were among their headline overseas pick at $80,000, while UAE's Farhan Khan and Muhammad Farooq were secured for $10,000 each. To round out their haul, they added Kuwait's Anudeep Chenthamara ($10,000) and Saudi Arabia's Usman Najeeb ($10,000).

Gulf Giants spread their net wide and became the first team to complete their squad. The Giants snapped up South Africa's Tabraiz Shamsi and Netherlands' pacer Fred Klaassen for $40,000 each along with England's Sean Dickson, landed at $10,000. The franchise also strengthened their bowling department through England's Chris Wood and West Indies' Ramon Simmonds with both pacers also coming in at $40,000 each.

MI Emirates, alongside their record signing of Fletcher, added Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hassan for $40,000 and England all-rounder Jordan Thompson for $48,000. They further diversified with Associate Nations players such as USA's Nosthush Kenjige, UAE's Zahoor Khan, Kuwait's Mohammad Shafiq and Saudi Arabia's Zain ul Abidin, all at $10,000.

Sharjah Warriorz roped in South African all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius at $120,000 and English leg-spinner Nathan Sowter for $100,000. They also locked in pacers Jayden Seales and Taskin Ahmed at $80,000 each. The Warriorz spent big on UAE' s Wasim Akram, bagging the pacer for $55,000. Kuwait's Mohamed Nawfer and Mohammed Aslam were picked up for $14,000 each while UAE's Ethan D'Souza, Zimbabwe's Richard Ngarava and USA's Harmeet Singh also made their way to the Warriorz for $10,000.

The DP World ILT20 Season 4 will begin on December 2 - the UAE National Day (Eid-Al-Etihad), with the six-team, 34-match tournament set to conclude with the final on January 4, 2026.

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