KABUL (SW): A record number of 13 players from Afghanistan are likely to be placed for auction at the lucrative and popular Indian Premier League (IPL) later this month in Bangalore, India.
Information gathered by Salam Watandar suggests the flamboyant leg-spinner Rashid Khan is likely to sell for fortune. Alongside him, all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, Najib Zadran, Mohammad Shahzad, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Gulbadin Naib, Mujib Zadran, Dawlat Zadran, Zahir Khan, Shahpur Zadran, Samiullah Shinari, Hameed Hassand and Asghar Stanikzai are likely to join a total of 281 capped players, 838 uncapped players, which also includes 778 Indian players, apart from three players from Associate cricket playing nations around the world.
The most notable names among the 13 Indian and 23 overseas players in the highest-price band were Mitchell Starc, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Brendon McCullum, Rashid Khan, Chris Gayle and Eoin Morgan.
The IPL has released a long list of 1122 players to the eight franchises. A final auction pool would be prepared by the end of next week once the franchises submit their wish-lists to the IPL.
Rashid is among the players with a base price of INR 2 crore (USD 315,000 approx).
A total of 26 players from England, 58 from Australia, 30 from New Zealand and 57 from South Africa have registered for the auction. Afghanistan too will see 13 players in the list while there are as many as 39 players from Sri Lanka. 39 players from West Indies too have entered the auction.
The 2018 season of the Indian Premier League, also known as IPL 11, will be the eleventh season of the IPL, a professional Twenty20 cricket league established by the BCCI in 2007. The season, which will be held from 4 April to 27 May, will see the return of the Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals after serving two years of suspension for the involvement of their respective owners in the 2013 IPL betting case.
Star Sports bagged the media rights at INR16,347.5 crore ($2.55 billion) for five years starting from 2018.
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