IPL 2018: Performance of Afghanistani players in IPL 2018

Afghanistan Cricket has grown by leaps and bounds in the international arena in the last three years. The rise of the Afghan cricket team has been even more impressive given how quickly it has progressed. Afghanistan’s senior team is now the most highly regarded of all the non-Test playing nations and they will play their maiden Test against India in June.

For the first time ever, Afghanistan has qualified for the cricket 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in England and will stand face to face, or rather wicket to wicket, with the world’s cricketing best.

The Afghanistan players have been playing in IPL since 2017 and have created a much better impact than their counterparts from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Here is an analysis and a rating of the performances of the three Afghanistan players in IPL 2018.

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#3 Mohammad Nabi

Nabi - Reliable All-rounder

Mohammad Nabi has been a solid middle-order batsman with some useful orthodox off-spin, who can quickly get through his overs in the powerplay. He has played in almost every global T20 league around the world including IPL, PSL, CPL and BBL.

Yet he hasn't got enough chances in IPL to prove his worth. He has been playing for SRH since IPL 2017 and has managed to play only 5 games in 2 years.

In IPL 2018, he has played only two matches and has managed to score 14 and 4. In the bowling department, he has picked up 1 wicket in 5 overs conceding 47 runs. It is fair to say that he hasn't got enough chances in the strong SRH lineup and could turn to be match-winner if he plays consistently.

#2 Rashid Khan

Rashid - Quick Arm Dynamite

The 19-year-old leggie has taken the cricketing world by storm with his quick arm leg-breaks and cunning googlies. Rashid learned his craft from his brothers by bowling on the streets and in people's backyards.

There were no proper academies or facilities in his hometown when he started and all he had was a burning passion for the game. Even the modern-day greats like Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and MS Dhoni have struggled to dominate him and have succumbed to his variations.

He has been playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad since 2017 and was the second highest wicket-taker for SRH in 2017. In IPL 2018, he has been consistent, picking up 16 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 25.25.

He has been slightly expensive in 2018 with an economy of 7.21, compared to his IPL 2017 economy of 6.62 runs per over. With the playoffs nearing, SRH will heavily rely on the Afghan leggie to grab a bagful of wickets in their race to IPL 2018 title.

#1 Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Mujeeb - 17-year-old sensation

Mujeeb was an unknown name to the cricketing world until the day of IPL 2018 auctions. Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab fought tooth and nail to sign him at the auctions, and eventually, Punjab snatched him for a whopping price of Rs. 4 crore. With several difficult-to-decipher variations, he rose through the ranks to represent Afghanistan in international cricket at the tender age of 16.

In IPL 2018, Mujeeb has been the key bowler for KXIP, along with the Aussie quick Andrew Tye. He has bowled in almost all stages of the game but has been most efficient during the powerplays where the batters have failed to pick his variations including the carrom ball and googly.

He has picked up 14 wickets from 11 matches at an astonishing average of 20.64 and an impressive economy of 6.99 runs per over.

One can be pretty sure that teams across other global T20 leagues are eyeing the 17-year-old sensation and he will torment batsmen with his wily variations.