International League T20 (ILT20 2023/24) champions MI Emirates have signed Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard as wildcards ahead of the 2025/26 season. The fourth edition of the tournament will take place between December 2 to January 4, with Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah set to host the matches. ILT20’s first-ever auction took place earlier in October where Andre Fletcher fetched the highest bid after MI Emirates spent $260,000 to buy the star.
Pooran, Pollard to play for MI Emirates
As per ESPNCricinfo, the duo of Pollard and Pooran will reunite at MI Emirates, having won the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) for Trinabago Knight Riders and Major League Cricket (MLC) for MI New York earlier this year. While Pollard has been an integral part of the MI family over years, Pooran is also a part of MI Cape Town in the SA20 league.
Some players walked away with headline contracts, while others, including seasoned internationals, were left without a taker in the first-ever ILT20 auction. Of course, the biggest one was Ravichandran Ashwin, who didn’t find any bidders despite having the highest base price.
For the local stars, UAE pacer Junaid Siddique became the most expensive name of the day after Sharjah Warriorz used their RTM card to secure him for USD 170,000. MI Emirates also invested heavily in domestic talent, retaining Muhammad Rohid for USD 140,000.
MI Emirates squad
Auction Signings: Muhammad Rohid (USD 140,000), Jordan Thompson (USD 48,000), Naveen-ul-Haq (USD 100,000), Andre Fletcher (USD 260,000), Nosthush Kenjige (USD 10,000), Mohamed Shafeeq (USD 10,000), Zain Ul Abidin (USD 10,000), Usman Khan (USD 10,000), Ackeem Auguste (USD 10,000), Arab Gul (USD 10,000), Tajinder Dhillon (USD 10,000), Zahoor Khan (USD 10,000), Shakib Al Hasan (USD 40,000).
Retentions + Direct Signings: Fazalhaq Farooqi, Tom Banton, Romario Shepherd, Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow, AM Ghazanfar, Muhammad Waseem, Kamindu Mendis.
Wildcards: Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard.
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