3 reasons why Sikandar Raza is a bargain buy for Punjab Kings
The IPL Auction was held last Friday in Kochi. It was the usual star-studded affair, as the 10 franchises went all guns blazing to purchase the right bunch of players that would help the team win the much-coveted IPL title.
It was widely speculated that Sikandar Raza would finally get picked by a franchise in this auction, after a solid showing for Zimbabwe in the last 12–18 months.
He starred for Zimbabwe after the team entered the Super 12 stage and went on to shock the eventual finalists, Pakistan, in a nail-biting Group B encounter in the ICC World T20.
Sikandar Raza became only the fourth Zimbabwean player to get an IPL contract after the trio of Brendan Taylor, Tatenda Taibu, and Ray Price.
At 36, when most people think of hanging up their boots, Raza seems to be at the peak of his powers. Picked up at his base price of ₹50 lakh, several cricketing experts hailed the Punjab Kings think tank for this steal of a buy.
On that note, let us discuss three reasons why Sikandar Raza is a bairgan buy for the Punjab Kings.
#1 Low price
With fellow world-class all-rounders like Ben Stokes (₹16.25 crores), Sam Curran (₹18.50 crores), and Cameron Green (₹17.50 crores), Punjab Kings would be stoked at having a world-class all-rounder in their ranks for as little as ₹50 lakhs.
Punjab Kings will feel that they covered up for the IPL auction's most expensive buy by purchasing Sikandar Raza for such a cheap price. Raza and Curran form a lethal combination for Punjab Kings, giving them the option of a world-class pace and spin all-rounder.
#2 Sikandar Raza is a mystery spinner who can give four overs with the ball
In the past couple of years, Sikandar Raza has developed a bag full of tricks with variations apart from traditional off-breaks such as the carrom ball, cross seam, slider, knuckle ball, and leg-break.
Traditionally a batting all-rounder with the ability to chip in with the ball, Raza has become a Sunil Narine-like mystery spinner who consistently bowls four overs for his side.
Such is his prowess with the ball that he won the POTM Award in Zimbabwe's shock win over Pakistan for his magnificent bowling spell. Raza will prove to be a handful in the dry, turning tracks of India in the months of April and May.
#3 World-class all-rounder
Apart from being a proper mystery spinner, Sikandar Raza is also a solid batter. In 2022, the Zimbabwean has scored 735 runs in 23 innings at an excellent average of 35.00 and a whopping strike rate of 150.92 in T20I cricket.
With the ball too, he has impressed with his mystery spin, picking up 25 wickets in 24 matches at a miserly economy rate of 6.13.
Often an underrated player who plays for an associate nation, his worth is properly reflected in the ICC World Rankings as he is the World No. 4 all-rounder in T20Is and World No. 5 in ODI cricket.
What are your thoughts on this purchase? Let us know in the comments section below.