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KABUL (SW): The number of Afghan cricketers entering the Indian Premier League (IPL) extravaganza doubled from 2 last year to 4 this year with emerging Mujeeb Zadran and Zahin Khan joining the seasoned Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi at the this popular and lucrative event.
Leg spinner Rashid Khan took the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 player auction by storm after Sunrisers Hyderabad exercised their Right-to-Match by shelling out a whopping INR 9 crore. SRH, the IPL 2016 champions, were forced to fork out big money after a bidding war between Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore saw price soar for the 19-year-old Afghan, who has taken Twenty20 leagues by storm in the last two years.
The ICC Associate Cricketer of the Year Rashid Khan took 17 wickets from 11 matches to help Sunrisers Hyderabad reach the playoff in IPL 2017. He is currently playing for Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League.
Rashid’s INR 9 crore was the second-highest paid for a bowler, after Kolkata Knight Riders paid up INR 9.4 crore for Aussie pace spearhead Mitchell Starc.
Another young Afghan spinner Mujeeb Zadran fetched a hefty pay-check of INR 4 crore from Kings XI Punjab, thus becoming the third Afghan player to be bought by an IPL franchise after Rashid Khan (INR 9 crore to SRH) and Mohammad Nabi (INR 1 crore to SRH).
Zadran, part of the Afghanistan Under-19 squad in the ongoing ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, is the first player born in the 21st century to play in the ODIs. Zadran had shot to fame claiming four wickets in debut against Ireland in 2017.
Fourth player from Afghanistan bought an IPL team was spinner Zahid Khan acquired by the Rajhistan Royals for INR 2 million.
In an exclusive interview with Salam Watandar, Zahid Khan said joining the IPL has long been a dream for him. Zahid said his main focus and priority is to help his side win the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand.
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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