IPL 2019: 3 teams that could be in contention for Qais Ahmad
Qais Ahmad, the 18-year-old spin sensation from Afghanistan is currently one of the most sought-after cricketers in various T20 leagues across the world. He is also considered as the next big thing in Afghanistan cricket after Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
The Nangarhar born cricket has already tasted success in his cricketing career as he finished the ICC Under-19 World Cup as the joint highest wicket-taker with Anukul Roy of India. He was also named as the Rising Player of Afghanistan.
He caught the attention of a lot of eyes when he picked up figures of 5-18 against a formidable batting line-up of Kabul Zwanan in the finals of Afghanistan Premier League (APL).
With the 2019 IPL auction slated to happen on December 16th and 17th in Jaipur, we could surely expect Qais Ahmed to emerge as one of the costliest buys in the auction due to his plethora of bowling skills under his armour.
Here, we take a look at the teams who would look to acquire the services of Qais Ahmad.
#3 Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians, the three-time champions had a dismal campaign last season as they crossed the victory line only 6 times out of 14 games. They struggled to find an ideal combination and it plagued their form for major part of the season.
Despite having top quality T20 batsmen and extraordinary bowlers in their ranks, their spin bowling department was a cause of concern. Mumbai Indians had the least number of spinners when compared to all the other teams last season and their spinners included Krunal Pandya, Mayank Markande, Rahul Chahar and Akila Dananjaya.
In this year's trade window, they have released Sri Lankan spinner Akila Dananjaya and have also traded Quinton de Kock from Royal Challengers Bangalore. Even now, Mumbai Indians lack depth in their spin department as Rahul Chahar is highly inexperienced and Mayank Markande isn't a reliable bowler.
So, Mumbai Indians should undoubtedly bid for Qais Ahmad who can fill the voids in the bowling department.