Babar Azam entered the International League T20 (ILT20) auction, which came as a surprise for many. The right-handed player is usually among pre-auction or draft signings for leagues. Last year, he bagged a $274,000 deal with Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Sydney Sixers as their pre-draft signing.
Babar went for his base price
More shocking would have been the fact that the Pakistan batter was bought at his base price by Desert Vipers, had it not been common knowledge that Pakistan players do not bring much competition in leagues like ILT20, where the majority of franchises are owned by Indian or IPL-based entities.
Vipers bought Babar unopposed in the league, and from what their CEO says, the signing was right on money for them.
“It’s good to have Babar with us,” said Oliver. “I mean, he is a player of high pedigree. I mean, that’s what you start with. I think we’re talking about the player with the most men’s T20 international runs, top scorer in the PSL, and that’s not to be sniffed at. So, when someone like that is available, you absolutely look at what it can bring to your top order. You obviously need a bit of a balance with this squad when you go into an auction, and he was very much high on our list of priorities.”
The franchise bought Babar at his base price of USD 80,000. Pakistan players have also largely represented Vipers, the only non-India-owned team in the tournament.
Top run scorer in PSL
This will be Babar’s maiden ILT20 stint, having played in the Big Bash League (BBL), Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Lankan Premier League (LPL), Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), and Vitality Blast. He was also the highest run-scorer in the PSL this year, scoring 588 runs including two centuries.
“I think T20 conditions, playing in the UAE, you do need a different skill set in some cases with your batting and yeah, I think the combination we’ve got at the top of the order, it feels like we’ve got all bases covered. So yeah, we’re very pleased to have him, and yeah, I think a key pickup for us, really; we were delighted to secure him pretty early on,” added Oliver.
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