Vitality Blast 2026: Derbyshire Falcons sign Muqeem, Ghazanfar

Derbyshire Falcons have strengthened their spin department ahead of the 2026 Vitality Blast by securing the services of two spinners, Sufiyan Muqeem and Mohammad Ghazanfar. Notably, Muqeem will feature in the first half of the group stage before Ghazanfar returns for the latter stages once his IPL 6 concludes.

The Vitality Blast will run from May 22 to July 18, and the Falcons have made a long-term plan to remain competitive throughout the tournament. Head of Cricket Mickey Arthur played a key role in the signings, leveraging existing relationships and the club’s positive reputation among overseas players.

Pakistan left-arm wrist-spinner Sufiyan Muqeem will represent Derbyshire in the first six matches of the 2026 Vitality Blast, including the East Midlands Derby against Notts Outlaws on May 29. Muqeem comes with international figures of 5 for 3 for Pakistan. His economy rate of 6.35 across 38 T20 matches makes him a notable signing.

Muqeem has prior experience working under Mickey Arthur, having featured for Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League. Arthur stated not just the spinner’s skill but also his temperament and character, stressing that personality plays a crucial role in overseas recruitment. 

“Sufyan is a rising star in T20 cricket and someone I’ve already had the pleasure of working with already, so I’ve seen his quality and resilience in pressure situations first-hand. When it comes to recruitment, the person matters just as much as the player and we’ve signed a gem in Sufyan. He’s hungry for success and I know he will be a fantastic addition to our team for the first half of the Vitality Blast. Mohammad continues to go from strength in his development and we’re pleased to welcome him back for the second half of the 2026 Vitality Blast. He’s performing at a high level around the world, but he was clear with me over the winter that he wanted to come back to Derbyshire, and it’s exciting we’ve managed to get the deal done. Signing overseas players with so many tournaments overlapping can be difficult, so we’ve done well to sign two current international spinners to ensure we have balance in our squad through the whole campaign,” Arthur said in a statement.

Derbyshire will welcome back Afghanistan prodigy Mohammad Ghazanfar for knockout stage

For the second half of the campaign and the knockout stages, Derbyshire will welcome back Afghanistan prodigy Mohammad Ghazanfar. Despite being only 19, Ghazanfar was the Falcons’ leading wicket-taker in the 2025 Vitality Blast, claiming 16 wickets. His standout performance included a spell of 2 for 5 in four overs against Yorkshire in July.

Ghazanfar has nearly 100 career wickets across all formats and was named in the ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year for 2024. Arthur revealed that Ghazanfar was keen on returning to Derbyshire despite increasing global opportunities, making the deal particularly significant for the club.