Afghanistan may not be a powerhouse in world cricket, but the Asian nation has been constantly improving. Players such as Mohammad Shahzad has been creating ripples with his big-hitting ability during powerplay, which might land him a major deal in the upcoming IPL 2017 auction, set for February 20 in Bengaluru.
IPL 2017 prediction: Who will be picked for mega bucks?
It is not only Shahzad, other four Afghanistan players namely Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran and Najeeb Zadran have also given their names for IPL 2017 auction, 1TV News reported.
A total of 799 players from all around the world are said to have thrown their hat in the ring, but the list is going to come down after the teams submit their list of choices before the weekend. Hence, it is not clear if all the five Afghan players given above will feature in the final list of IPL 2017 auction pool.
However, Shahzad could find his name in the list for February 20, and it will come as no surprise if one of the teams decides to pick the opener. The right-hander showed that he can play against the best of the best in the world when he featured for the World T20 last year. Shahzad scored 222 runs in the World T20 in India including his splendid innings against South Africa, scoring 44 runs from 19 balls, which caught everyone's eye. This innings against the likes of Chris Morris, Kyle Abott and David Wiese reflected his crisp hitting ability.
Overall, Shahzad has a strike rate of 136 in the T20 format for Afghanistan. He has 1,656 runs against his name as well. Besides hitting balls all around the park, Shahzad is a wicket-keeper as well, which may tempt IPL franchises in acquiring his signature for the dual role.
Besides the opener, Dawlat Zadran is another quality player from Afghanistan, and he has the potential to trouble world class batsmen with his wonderful pace bowling. The pacer is an experienced customer from Aghanistan.
Left-hander Najibullah, who is known for his monstrous hitting, will hope that some IPL franchises pick him in IPL, therefore giving him a chance to showcase his hitting skills. Other players like Nabi (all-rounder) and Khan (leg-break) will keep their fingers crossed for the same.
