IPL 2022: 3 Pakistan players who would have been huge buys
The anticipation for IPL 2022 is already in the air with the mega auction set to see a number of players go under the hammer. As many as 27 players were retained across the eight existing franchises ahead of the IPL 2022 Auction.
The inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008 remains the only one which saw players from Pakistan take part in it. Geopolitical tensions between the two countries have left Pakistani players unable to take part in the IPL in any season until IPL 2022 and counting.
Quite a few big-ticket names from Pakistan took part in the first edition of the IPL. These included Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Hafeez among many others. Left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir was the winner of the Purple Cap, taking 22 scalps from 11 games for the Rajasthan Royals.
Pakistan recently made the semifinals of the ICC Men's 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE. They did so having won all five of their Super 12 clashes before going down to Australia in a thrilling semi-final encounter. None of their players will feature in IPL 2022 though.
Pakistan has shown great consistency in recent times in the T20 format. It wouldn't have been a surprise if some of their players had bagged big contracts ahead of IPL 2022 had they been allowed to take part.
Here, we take a look at three such Pakistan players:
#3 Mohammad Rizwan - Pakistan's ace wicket-keeper
2021 was the year that Mohammad Rizwan dominated (some would even say owned). At the time of writing this, Rizwan's run-tally in T20 internationals for the year stands at 1326 and counting. Rizwan is also the first batter ever to record over 2000 runs in a calendar year in all T20s.
Mohammad Rizwan becomes the first player in history to complete 2000 runs in the T20 format in a year.
Technically sound and blessed with a composed head, Mohammad Rizwan is equally adept against both pace and spin. He can take the attack to the bowlers when required while also knowing when to hold back and play the situation. Add his sharp wicket-keeping skills to this and one can see a complete package among wicket-keeper batters in Mohammad Rizwan.
Needless to say, Mohammad Rizwan would have been a big attraction for IPL 2022 had he been available. Rizwan is also the captain of the Multan Sultans, the reigning Pakistan Super League (PSL) champions.
The IPL 2022 Auction will see quite a few franchises on the lookout for a captain. A leader in every sense, franchises would have bid hard for Mohammad Rizwan's services ahead of IPL 2022 had he been available.
#2 Babar Azam - the Pakistan captain
That Babar Azam is one of the best batters across formats in today's era needs no restating. The Pakistan skipper has been a run bank for Pakistan ever since he burst onto the international arena in 2015. So much so that he seems to live by the phrase 'making runs for fun' quite literally. It goes without saying that the franchises would've gone all out in pursuit of Babar for IPL 2022 had he been available.
Babar Azam's stock as a batter has been in the ascendancy over the years. The extra mantle of captaincy doesn't seem to have deterred his penchant for consistently churning out big runs. Babar Azam averages over 45 in all T20s at a decent strike-rate of 128.24, making him a valuable commodity.
Had he been available for the IPL 2022 Auction, Babar Azam would surely have been a marquee attraction among the teams. Given that he opens the batting and faces quality bowlers upfront, Babar Azam can walk in as the fulcrum of any team in any format.
#1 Shaheen Shah Afridi - Pakistan's strike force
It wouldn't be far-fetched to state that facing Shaheen Shah Afridi with the new ball is among the most difficult propositions in world cricket today. Swing, pace, accuracy and variation, the left-arm seamer from Pakistan has it all in abundance. For a right-handed batter in particular, it is nothing short of a nightmare to counter the guile and skill of Afridi.
They say 'left is right' when it comes to picking fast-bowlers. In the IPL, we have seen demand for quality left-arm fast-bowlers never go out of flavor. Needless to say, Shaheen Shah Afridi would have been right up there among the franchise's priority lists had Pakistan's players been available for IPL 2022.
Capable of bowling with the new ball as well as at the death, Shaheen Shah Afridi continues to make heads turn across formats. One can only imagine the skyrocketing bids in the IPL 2022 Auction had Afridi been a part of the list. Just about every team may have contemplated vying for his services.