Gulf Giants’ Simon Helmot happy with ‘quality’ auction picks
The Gulf Giants acquired both Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Liam Livingstone for record fees
Dubai: Gulf Giants head coach Simon Helmot was pleased with the franchise’s selections at the DP World ILT20 Season 5 Player Auction after securing two of the biggest names available in Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Liam Livingstone.
“They are quality players,” Helmot told Gulf News at the DP World ILT20 Season 5 Player Auction at ICC Academy in Dubai.
The Adani Sportsline-owned franchise first used its Right-to-Match option to retain Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter Gurbaz for $310,000, making him the most expensive player in DP World ILT20 Player Auction history at the time.
The record did not last long.
England all-rounder Livingstone then joined the Giants for $350,000, setting a new auction record just minutes after Gurbaz had established the previous mark.
"It wasn’t the plan to break the record twice in one night,” Helmot joked.
Helmot was pleased with the outcome and believes the two signings have given the Giants an explosive top order heading into Season 5.
“We’ve got an explosive top order and need some good death bowling,” he said.
Gurbaz and Livingstone add further firepower to a squad that already includes South Africans David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen, as well as Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai and Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani.
Helmot said the focus will now turn to seeing how his new-look batting line-up performs when the tournament gets underway.
The Australian coach has extensive franchise experience, having worked in the IPL, Caribbean Premier League and Bangladesh Premier League, while also guiding Australia’s Melbourne Renegades to their maiden Women’s Big Bash League title in 2024.
The Giants’ wider programme has also enjoyed success, with Gulf Giants Development retaining the DP World ILT20 Development Tournament title in September after winning the inaugural edition in 2025.
For Helmot, however, the auction will ultimately be judged by what his new-look squad delivers on the field.
“It’s about the performance when it comes to the tournament,” he said.
