UAE Cricket Prodigy Ayaan Misbah Prepares for ILT20 Auction with High Hopes

Being a UAE cricketer never used to require an economics qualification. For the majority of the game’s history here, domestic players have been able to count their earnings from the sport on their fingers. After Ayaan Misbah attended the first DP World International League T20 last year, though, he might have been minded to pay closer attention to the teacher in his A-level economics classes. Then, aged just 16, he was taken along to the new event by Jack Luffman, the development lead for the Desert Vipers franchise.

As one of the most highly rated young prospects in the country, Misbah is a scholar on the Vipers' development programme. The ILT20 auction was another learning day, and not just for the young cricketer. No one knew what to expect, not least the Jumeirah College schoolboy for whom a cricket career has always been a dream. Misbah was born in India and first learnt the game aged five at a ground near the family home in Delhi.

“As soon as I started, I knew I had aspirations of going big,” Misbah, now 17, said. “That was always a goal for me. Since we had a cricket ground nearby, I was always practising. As soon as I came home from school, I went straight to the nets, practised, went back home, repeat. I always had that vision that I want to be the best.”

He moved to Dubai with his family when he was seven. His love for cricket survived the move from one country where cricket is an overriding obsession to one where, in many ways, it battles for recognition. Last year’s ILT20 auction, and specifically when UAE fast bowler Junaid Siddique landed a deal for $170,000, changed the landscape of the sport here.

“The biggest moment that inspired me was last year,” Misbah said. “I saw teams bidding for players, and it was completely exhilarating. I felt like I need to be there. That made me think there's a great future prospect here. [It felt like] UAE is not just an Associate country anymore. It's a proper cricket country and a place where I can take my talent and be as big as some of the international players around.”

That talent is being closely monitored. The Vipers made Misbah their first-round pick in the draft for the ILT20 Development Tournament, meaning they will have first dibs on him when the auction for Season 5 takes place on October 1. Each of the six franchises must have four UAE players per squad, and at least one of the four has to be under 23. As such, there will be a premium on players of Misbah’s profile.

Misbah will be at school – where he studies maths, economics and computer studies – in Jumeirah at the time the auction starts on October 1. Prospective ILT20 employers should know enough about him by that stage, not just via his returns in the development tournament, but also in UAE age-group representative sides. When still only 16, he hit 163 for the UAE against Malaysia in the U19 Asia Cup, then 77 next time out against Pakistan.

“Scoring against big teams has always been my dream,” Misbah said. “I wanted to play for India once, but now I'm in UAE, and I'm so proud to be here. I'm so grateful.”