IPL 2022 Auction: 3 Afghanistan players who could fetch their first IPL contract based on T20 World Cup 2021 performance
The T20 World Cup 2021 was a grand stage for the Afghanistan Cricket Team to showcase their skills against top sides. Amidst severe political strife at home, Mohammad Nabi's men were able to light up the highlights reel, but fell short of wins against the higher-ranked teams in their group.
In conditions that suited their style of play, their regular stars performed well in patches, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan enjoying the turning pitches on offer. Nabi had a decent tournament with bat and ball, and led the team to commanding victories over Namibia and Scotland.
However, Afghanistan were able to show some spark in two key areas - their finishing and quick bowling. Although they would have hoped for more from their top order of Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, here are three players who performed well and will be noticed in the IPL 2022 auctions.
#3 Hamid Hassan
A seasoned campaigner in this young Afghanistan squad, 34-year-old Hamid Hassan came in for Mujeeb and made an immediate impact on his comeback to the team. Rocking Namibia with superb figures of 3/9, Hassan ensured Afghanistan finished with one of the best net run rates in their group.
Although he did not pick up wickets in the big games against India and New Zealand, Hassan was quite economical. He conceded runs at 8.5 against India as they racked up 210, and at 4.66 in a run-a-ball New Zealand chase. With the IPL played in conditions that often aren't helpful for pacers, Hassan's performances in the UAE are likely to attract some attention at the IPL 2022 auction.
#2 Naveen-ul-Haq
In his young T20 career, Naveen-ul-Haq has impressed for Afghanistan with his control with the ball and ability to pick up wickets. Already a campaigner in T20 leagues all over the world, Naveen led Afghanistan's pace attack in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
The Player of the Match in the game against Namibia, Naveen had contributions in almost all of Afghanistan's games, with an economy of a run-a-ball or less in four matches. Had it not been for Asif Ali's blitz at the other end, he looked set to lead his team to an upset against Pakistan. Naveen's death bowling skills are likely to interest several teams at the expanded upcoming IPL auctions.
Check out the updated most runs in T20 World Cup 2021 list here.
#1 Najibullah Zadran
Going by what we saw in IPL 2021, the majority of teams relied on top-order batting, as the finishers - barring a few - failed to execute in tricky, spin-favouring conditions. That is one area where Afghan middle-order batter Najibullah Zadran could carve his niche in the cash-rich tournament.
By virtue of being a middle-order player, Najibullah did not have a consistent run with the bat in the tournament. However, two knocks stood out - a boundary-laden 59 off 34 against Scotland to help Afghanistan pile on 190, and a valiant 73 off 48 against a high-quality New Zealand attack as the rest of the batting crumbled around him.
The 28-year-old would fancy his chances of being picked up by a franchise for the next IPL season.