India and Pakistan Cricketers to Share Same Dressing Room in ILT20

The first-ever ILT20 player auction takes place today in Dubai, and it is already drawing attention for more than just cricket. For the first time, Indian and Pakistani players are part of the same auction pool, raising the possibility of them sharing a dressing room.

Ravichandran Ashwin headlines the auction list at the top base price of 120,000 dollars. Other Indian names like Piyush Chawla, Siddharth Kaul, Priyank Panchal and Ankit Rajput are also in the mix, while Dinesh Karthik has already been signed by Sharjah Warriorz.

On the other side, Pakistani internationals such as Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah and Faheem Ashraf are also up for grabs. This means a franchise could end up with both Indian and Pakistani stars in the same squad.

That possibility comes at a tense moment. Just days ago, the Asia Cup ended in an ugly row over the trophy presentation, with the BCCI and PCB clashing in the ACC meeting. Against that backdrop, an Indian and a Pakistani cricketer sitting in the same dugout in the UAE could bring unwanted political noise.

Since 2012-13, India and Pakistan have not played bilateral cricket, meeting only at ICC and ACC events. Franchise leagues were thought to be neutral ground, but even in exhibitions like the World Championship of Legends, tensions have spilled over.

Each ILT20 team will have around 800,000 dollars to spend at the table, with squads of 19 to 21 players. With Ashwin in the top price bracket and several Pakistanis in the 80,000 range, the auction dynamics make a cross-border combination almost inevitable.