Alzarri Joseph Lands US$230,000 Deal With Gulf Giants in ILT20 Auction

The DP World International League T20 (ILT20) Season 5 player auction, held in Dubai on Thursday, delivered a career milestone for Antigua and Barbuda fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, who secured a lucrative $230,000 contract with the Gulf Giants. As one of the most sought-after international quicks in the pool of 200+ players from 23 nations, Joseph’s price tag cemented his status as one of the highest-valued signings at this year’s event. The 29-year-old paceman, a core component of the West Indies international attack across all three cricket formats, brings extensive franchise cricket experience to the Gulf Giants’ already star-studded roster. The franchise targeted multiple top international talents throughout the auction, led by England all-rounder Liam Livingstone, who became their biggest acquisition with a $350,000 bid. Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz also rejoined the club via the Right to Match mechanism for $310,000. The Gulf Giants added a second West Indian pace talent, Shamar Joseph, for $80,000, followed by Namibia all-rounder David Wiese at $70,000, Afghanistan batter Ibrahim Zadran at $65,000, and West Indies batter Alick Athanaze, the final Caribbean addition, who joined for just $10,000. Across the entire auction, Afghanistan fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi claimed the highest bid of the day, with MI Emirates securing him for a tournament record $380,000. Other top-valued signings included Faf du Plessis, the former South Africa captain, who went for $300,000. When combining spending on retained players, pre-auction direct signings and Thursday’s auction purchases, the Gulf Giants have invested a total of $1.972 million to build their Season 5 squad. The roster already boasts a host of global cricket stars, including South African batting standouts David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen, Zimbabwe pace bowler Blessing Muzarabani, and Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai. Joseph’s signing brings renewed representation for Antigua and Barbuda in one of the world’s fastest-growing elite T20 franchise competitions. When ILT20 Season 5 kicks off, the paceman will share the field with many of the biggest names in the short format of the sport, adding another high-profile chapter to his already impressive cricket career.