IPL: Top 5 Afghan players who have impressed in cash-rich league

Afghanistan cricket has thrived tremendously in a very short period. Since 2009, they are active in international cricket and over the years, they have emerged as a dangerous side in white-ball cricket. Their players consistently hit headlines for their phenomenal performance in international cricket. In recent years, it has also been witnessed that Afghanistan players participate in T20 franchise competitions around the world.

In the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL), a few Afghan players have registered their presence but only a few have been successful. In 2017, Rashid Khan created history by becoming the first Afghan player to play in the IPL. Since then, he has played a lot of cricket in the league and has become a renowned name. In addition to Rashid, some of the other Afghan players have also played in the T20 extravaganza.

Discussing more, here are the five best Afghanistan players who have played in the IPL:

5. Naveen-ul-Haq

Naveen-ul-Haq is active for Afghanistan in international cricket since 2016. During Aghanstan’s tour of Bangladesh in 2016, he got a chance to make his debut in the first One-Day International (ODI). In 2019, he played his first T20 international match during the 2019 Bangladesh Tri-Nation Series.

Since then, he has represented his national team in 27 T20Is, and has picked up 34 wickets at an economy of 8.10. In domestic T20 leagues, his presence could be found in all major competitions. He bagged his maiden IPL contract at the mini-auction in December 2022 held in Kochi. The 23-year-old was roped in by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at his base price of INR 50 lakh.

So far, the young gun has played two games for the franchise, and in both appearances, he looked effective with his economical spells. In the second match of his IPL career, Naveen took his maiden wicket as he got rid of Vijay Shankar, who came to bat at number five for Gujarat Titans (GT).