DUBAI: One of the defining features of the DP World ILT20’s fourth edition is the inclusion of one player from Saudi Arabia and one from Kuwait in each of the six franchises. These opportunities have been facilitated by partnerships established between the respective cricket boards of the two countries and ILT20.
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All these players were bought at the auction held on Oct. 1 in Dubai. Five of the Saudi players were bought at their reserve price of $10,000, with one acquired at $16,000. Two of the Kuwaiti players were bought for $14,000, the other four at the reserve price.
Four of these 12 players were guaranteed to end up as members of the two franchises that reached the final. Shortly after the Desert Vipers reached the final by defeating the MI Emirates in Qualifier 1 on Dec. 30, I caught up with their Saudi player, Faisal Khan. In a wide-ranging discussion, we talked about his experience with the Vipers, of the tournament overall and how these will contribute to his own development and that of cricket in Saudi Arabia. He began by telling me about how he shut himself away in a room when the player auction was taking place and of his delight when he was bought by the Desert Vipers.
