IPL 2018 Auctions: 5 new Afghan players who might be big grabs

Afghanistan cricket has often hogged the headlines courtesy their swashbuckling brand of cricket. Their cricket has grown leaps and bounds with the passage of time and their cricketers have garnered appreciations form every nook and corner of the world. The likes of Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan have also played in the Indian Premier League.

A total of ten Afghans will go under the hammer in the upcoming auctions on the 27th and 28th January at Bangalore. Anticipating that Nabi and Rashid will find a buyer, here are five new Afghan faces who might be grabbed by franchises.

1. Dawlat Zadran

Dawlat Zadran has been an instrumental element of the Afghanistan setup ever since they forayed into international cricket. He has been a prolific wicket-taker for the Afghans across all formats. He doesn’t possess an express pace, but his prowess to swing the ball has disturbed the best around the globe.

The excellent performances have earned him a place in the upcoming auctions in Bangalore. He has a base of 50 Lakhs and features in the elite list of Afghan cricketers to take part in the auctions. The pacer had a base price of 30 Lakhs in the previous season’s auctions, however, he returned empty-handed.

2. Najibullah Zadran

Najibullah Zadran is renowned for his fierce stroke-play and has been instrumental for Afghanistan in the international circuit, especially in the Twenty20 format. In T20 Internationals he has displayed his ferocity with the willow and currently has a staggering strike-rate of 148.50.

He was also a part of the Afghans during their 2015 World Cup campaign in Down Under and the 2016 World T20 in India. The left-handed batsman was also a part of the auctions in 2017, but didn’t find a buyer. He has a base price of 50 Lakhs and can be a handy buy for the franchises.

3. Shafiqullah Shafaq

Shafiqullah Shafaq hasn’t played much for Afghanistan, however, his records suggest his prowess as a clean striker of the cricket ball. He has a strike-rate of 143 in T20 cricket, which shows his ability to hit the big shots when required. The Nangrahar-born cricketer is set to make his debut in the IPL Auctions.

He has a base price of 50 Lakhs and teams may go for the big-hitting Afghan. The Afghan has also represented his nation in a couple of World T20 campaigns. On flat Indian wickets, his skills with the willow might just work wonders, both for Shafiqullah and his franchise.

4. Mujeeb Zadran

Mujeeb Zadran recently became the first male cricketer from the 21st century to play international cricket. The 16-year old has already played three games for Afghanistan and has picked up seven wickets with a four-wicket haul to his name against Ireland at Sharjah in December.

The right-arm off-break bowler is currently playing in the ICC Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand. Meanwhile, he will also enter the IPL Auctions with a base price of 50 Lakhs. The tweaker has already grabbed eyeballs at a tender age and is expected to have a bright future in the offing for the Afghans.

5. Zahir Khan Pakteen

Zahir Khan Pakteen is another of those Afghan cricketers who are presently playing in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand. He is a left-arm chinaman bowler who can be a difficult prospect for batsmen on Indian wickets which is known for assisting spin bowling.

The sparkling youngster also has experience of playing in India when Ireland played an Intercontinental contest against Ireland at Greater Noida and picked a couple of wickets to show for his efforts. He has a base price of 20 Lakhs and might be a useful pick for the franchises going into the eleventh season of the Indian Premier League.