CHENNAI: The cricket fraternity in Afghanistan and United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be glued to their television sets as soon as the
IPL auction
gets underway in Bengaluru on February 20. Out of 351 players, for the first time ever, six players -five from Afghanistan and one from UAE -are part of an
IPL auction list.
The five cricketers from Afghanistan are keeper batsman
Mohammad Shahzad, a well-known MS Dhoni fan, skipper
Asghar Stanikzai, allrounder
Mohammad Nabi, 18-year-old legspinner Rashid Khan and medium-pacer
Dawlat Zadran. Indian-born Chirag Suri, who was part of the UAE U19 team in 2014 World Cup, is the lone face from UAE. Interestingly, India and
BCCI has had a major role in the rise of Afghanistan cricket over the last two years as Greater Noida has been the home ground of Afghanistan since 2015 and their coach is former Indian cricketer Lalchand Rajput.
Now, it is the BCCI which had “accepted the request” of Shafiq Stanikzai, Chief Executive of Afghanistan Cricket Board, to include five of their cricketers for the first time ever in an IPL auction to promote the sport in the war-torn nation during the Asian Cricket Council Executive Committee meeting in Sri Lanka last December.
“An IPL contract would mean a huge thing not just for the cricketers but for the entire nation. All of us are eagerly looking forward to this auction. There are a lot of big names in it and if picked it will be a huge experience for us. People have started noticing Afghan cricketers since the 2015 World Cup. The biggest achievement is that our side has gained respect at the global level,” Shahzad, who is with the Afghanistan team in Zimbabwe, told TOI on Saturday.
Surprisingly, opener Shahzad, who demolished attacks during the T20 World Cup in India last year, has kept a base price of Rs 50 lakh. When asked how confident he is ahead of the auction, Shahzad said: “Although no IPL teams have contacted me, I have good experience of playing in Asian conditions. I have been doing well. I'm confident and hope not just me but all of us get picked.”
For 22-year-old UAE batsman Suri, who was part of the UAE U19 team in 2014 World Cup, a call from an IPL franchisee about two months back asking him to register in the auction “surprised” him. “It feels great to know that IPL teams are looking at talents from UAE. The place is abuzz ever since the news broke about my inclusion in the list. Our cricket will get a massive boost if I get picked. If one player gets picked, then the door will open for others,” Suri told TOI.