Andre Fletcher bags top bid, Ashwin goes unsold at ILT20 auction

West Indies' Andre Fletcher stole the spotlight at the first-ever ILT20 Auction, becoming the most expensive pick of the day at USD 260,000.

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The West Indies opener was snapped up by MI Emirates, who outbid rivals to secure him for a fourth straight season. The day also had its share of surprises, none bigger than R Ashwin going unsold after entering with the highest base price of USD 120,000.

England's Scott Currie came close to topping the charts, landing a USD 250,000 deal with Dubai Capitals. Gulf Giants went big on Liam Dawson at USD 170,000, while Naveen-ul-Haq joined Fletcher at MI Emirates for USD 100,000.

UAE pacers enjoyed a breakthrough day. Sharjah Warriorz used their Right-to-Match card to bring back Junaid Siddique for USD 170,000, their costliest buy of the auction. Muhammad Rohid also went big, earning a USD 140,000 RTM deal with MI Emirates - a landmark moment for UAE cricket.

Among other major overseas signings, Desert Vipers secured Pakistan duo Fakhar Zaman and Naseem Shah at their base price of USD 80,000 each. Abu Dhabi Knight Riders went for Scotland's Brandon McMullen at USD 110,000, while also adding Michael Pepper, Unmukt Chand and George Garton. Faisal Khan made history as the first Saudi Arabian player to be picked in the league, joining the Vipers for USD 10,000.

Gulf Giants were the first to complete their squad, adding Tabraiz Shamsi, Fred Klaassen and Chris Wood to bolster their bowling attack. MI Emirates complemented their record Fletcher signing with Shakib Al Hasan (USD 40,000) and England allrounder Jordan Thompson (USD 48,000). Sharjah Warriorz made a splash with Dwaine Pretorius (USD 120,000) and Nathan Sowter (USD 100,000), while also roping in Jayden Seales and Taskin Ahmed.