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KKR Franchise Picks Up Scotland Talent, Mumbai Indians Rope in Afghanistan Pacer And West Indies Opener in ILT20 Auction

Amogh Bodas

The fourth season will commence from December 2.

Some of the buys from the two IPL franchises – Mumbai Indians and the Kolkata Knight Riders, have hit the headlines as the ILT20 auction is currently underway in the UAE. After three successful stints of the tournament, the fourth edition of the International League T20 (ILT20) is set to begin on December 2, 2025. The league is scheduled a bit earlier than usual to prevent clashing with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup next year.

More than 300 players from as many as 20 countries are going under the hammer for the T20 league. In a major highlight, India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin went unsold in the first round of the auction. Ashwin’s base price was the highest among the registered players. Moreover, former Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al-Hasan also went unsold in the first round.

Mumbai Indians (MI) Emirates rope in Andre Fletcher, Naveen-ul-Haq in ILT20 Auction

The Men in Blue & Gold have been one of the most consistent teams over the three seasons of the league. They qualified for the playoffs in all three seasons and were crowned champions in the second season in 2024. Under the leadership of Nicholas Pooran, the team will be aiming for the second title in their cabinet.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise picked two promising stars in the ILT20 auction. The MI Emirates chose to persist with the West Indies opener Andre Fletcher for the next season. Having played 28 matches in the same jersey, he has scored just over 700 runs with a highest score of an unbeaten 96. In the last season, Fletcher could only feature in five matches, scoring 138 runs at a strike rate of 127.77. His explosiveness at the top of the order is what the franchise will need out of the right-handed opener.

To add to that, MI Emirates have also onboarded Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq in their squad. The right-arm pacer has represented the Sharjah Warriors in the tournament in 2022-23. His variations at the death will make the bowling attack interesting. Naveen has a superb slower ball which can deceive the batters in the air and off the deck. In the ILT20, he has played nine matches for his 11 wickets, with an economy of just over eight.

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Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR) invest in Brandon McMullen

In the last three seasons of the tournament, the Sunil Narine-led team has not qualified for the playoffs. This time, they would look to turn things around. Having said that, ADKR have picked an exciting prospect in Brandon McMullen from Scotland.

The 25-year-old has featured in four matches in the ILT20 so far for the Dubai Capitals. He holds 109 runs to his name with a strike-rate of 126.74.

In 23 games for his country in the shortest format, the youngster has scored 629 runs at an average of 31.45. To add to that, he possesses seven fifties in the format and is one of the most consistent players for Scotland. The most prominent highlight from his T20 career would be his century against Oman in the T20 World Cup Qualifiers in 2024. In addition, McMullen can also roll his arm over, which can give the skipper some variety in the middle.

Last season’s champions and finalists, Dubai Capitals and Desert Vipers, will go head-to-head in the opener in Dubai on December 2.

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