Mohammad Amir Explains Unsold Status in ILT20 Auction

Former Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Amir has clarified the reason behind him not being picked up during the inaugural ILT20 auction for the competition’s fourth season.

Amir revealed the explanation on his Facebook page, sharing a banner that included a screenshot of an email confirming his withdrawal prior to the auction.

The email stated: “Considering the recent circumstances, please accept this email as formal notification of Muhammad Amir’s withdrawal from the upcoming ILT20 auction.”

The left-arm bowler previously played for Desert Vipers for a couple of seasons, participating in 20 games and securing 26 wickets with an economy rate of 8.01.

During the auction, Pakistani players Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah, were acquired by Desert Vipers for the upcoming fourth edition of the tournament, which is slated to commence on December 2.

Both Zaman and Shah were signed for $80,000 each, while Hasan Nawaz was obtained for $40,000.

UAE’s Junaid Siddique was acquired for $170,000 by Sharjah Warriors, whereas Afghanistan’s Naveen-ul-Haq was sold to MI Emirates for $100,000. However, veteran English bowler James Anderson was not picked by any team.

This will mark Zaman’s second term with Desert Vipers, as he had previously represented the franchise in the third edition.

Across nine matches, he amassed 222 runs with an average of 27.75 and a strike rate of 134.54, which included a pair of half-centuries.

Meanwhile, Naseem Shah is set to participate in the ILT20 for the first time, having already made appearances in several international leagues, such as the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Lanka Premier League (LPL), and Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Pakistani players Mohammad Haris and Saim Ayub were not sold, while West Indian batter Andre Fletcher was picked up by MI Emirates for $260,000.

Former Pakistani all-rounder Imad Wasim, together with spinners Mohammad Nawaz and Usman Tariq, also went unsold.

Usman Tariq delivered a noteworthy performance for Trinbago Knight Riders in the recent CPL 2025, concluding as the competition’s second-highest wicket-taker with 20 wickets across 10 matches, maintaining an economy rate of 7.31.