IPL: Why Afghanistan players could be great options at auction
The Indian Premier League auction is all set to take place on February 20 in Bengaluru after the process was cancelled out earlier this month due to administrative reasons.
The players` list has been cut down to 351 from the original size of 799. It includes 122 capped internationals, out of which 24 of are Indians. The list had a total of 160 capped players from nine countries, excluding Pakistan, and 639 uncapped ones.
Adding some freshness to the roster, will be six Associate nations players up for grabs and five of them are from Afghanistan. UAE batsman Chirag Suri is the only other Associate player in the list.
Asghar Stanikzai, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Shahzad, Dawlat Zadran , Rashid Khan are all up for grabs when the auction starts on February 20. Shahzad and Rashid have the highest base prices among the five at INR 50 lakh.
Afghanistan have made steady progress in the cricketing circuit and they even pulled off a major upset when they beat current T20 champions West Indies in a league match during last year`s World T20 and they also won the recently concluded Desert T20 championship, where all the Associate nations took part.
And most of the credit behind their steady rise goes to some very talented and great servers of the game in - Mohammad Shahzad, Asghar Stanikzai and Mohammad Nabi and Dawlat Zadran. These stars have a combined experience of 182 T20Is. Then there is the young leg-break bowler in Rashid, who has taken 31 wickets from 21 games with an economy rate of 6.14.
These are some really talented players and are going to be good bargains for the teams who are looking to fill some of the gaps here and there for this particular season.
So, what do these players bring to the table for the franchises?
MOHAMMAD SHAHZAD
The 29-year-old wicketkeeper batsman idolises former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He has modeled his batting on Dhoni`s style and has been fairly successful at it as well. He is a flamboyant opener and can tonk the ball. Currently he is ranked seventh in the ICC T20 rankings.
Shahzad has 1656 runs from 55 T20Is at an impressive average of 31.84. Shahdzad came into the limelight after smashing 118 off 67 balls versus Zimbabwe last year in Sharjah. Not only that, he has a brilliant strike-rate of 136.63 and his ability to hit big will come in handy for any team to provide a swashbuckling start during the powerplays. He was the highest run getter in the Desert T20I challenge as well with 207 runs in five matches.Shahzad is one of the highest priced Associate players at Rs 50 lakh and can be picked up by Delhi Daredevils (DD), Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS), who don`t quite have a settled opening pair.
ASGHAR STANIKZAI
Stanikzai is an experienced campaigner. He has already represented India in four ICC World T20s. A right-handed batsman predominantly, Stanikzai can roll his arm over occasionally as well to bowl some medium pace. He is not as destructive and prolific as Shahzad but the Afghanistan captain can provide some valuable runs and experience in the middle order to teams which lack it.
He has scored 806 runs in 43 T20Is with a strike rate of 106.61 and a career-best of 62, which came against Sri Lanka in the World T20 last year.
With a base price of Rs 20 lakh, he could provide a very reliable and a bargain back up in the middle order for the champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) or Kings XI Punjab (KXIP)
MOHAMMAD NABI
Keep an eye on this man as well. Nabi is an immensely experienced cricketer. Over the years, he has been one of Afghanistan`s most reliable performers. The all-rounder can be a very clever pick for teams that need a slow blowing all-rounder. He is currently ranked fourth in the ICC all-rounders ranking in T20s.
The 32-year-old bowls off-breaks and is a handy lower-order batsman as well. Nabi has picked 56 wickets from 52 T20Is and has also scored 704 runs at a strike rate of 130.37. More importantly, Nabi`s bowling skills are going to be an asset for teams as he keeps it tight. Besides, he can give important breakthroughs as well. Nabi has an economy of 6.96 and a career best of 4/10 versus Ireland in Dubai. He was also the Player of the tournament in the Desert T20I challenge in Dubai where he picked up seven wickets in five matches.
At a base price of Rs 30 lakh, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) might fancy him as a good and cheap option to bowl in tandem with Axar Patel.
DAWLAT ZADRAN
Dawlat`s ability to swing the ball at decent pace makes him a very good option for many teams who need fast bowlers. It is said that he resembles Pakistan bowling legend Waqar Younis in the way he bowls and he is more or less a regular in the national team.
He has taken 39 wickets from 32 T20Is and can provide much needed options to teams like Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils (DD) or KXIP. These teams need pacers and he could be a bargain for them with his base price being Rs 30 lakh.
RASHID KHAN
Rashid is a leg-spinner who has already entered the top five in the ICC rankings for T20I bowlers. Currently ranked fourth, from 21 T20Is, he has picked up 31 wickets at an economy rate of 6.14.
He could be a genuine option for SRH as they just have one spinner in Bipul Sharma. Although he is priced at Rs 50 lakh, there`s not going to be much competition for his services as the teams are more or less covered in terms of spinners.
Source: India Today
