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.

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#3 Mumbai Indians

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.

#2 Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals made a successful comeback after serving two years ban due to illegal betting and match-fixing. The team under Ajinkya Rahane garnered 14 points from 14 matches.

Though they finished at the fourth position in the points table, they were expected to put up a much better performance as they had the costliest Indian and Overseas buy of 2018 IPL auction (Jaydev Unadkat and Ben Stokes) in the team.

Though Rajasthan Royals have the likes of Ish Sodhi, Shreyas Gopal, Krishnappa Gowtham in their spin department, none of them are proven wicket-takers and are vastly inconsistent. Having Qais Ahmad in the squad can be a major boost to their bowling department and he can make a huge impact for Rajasthan Royals.

If Shane Warne continues to be the mentor for Rajasthan Royals in 2019, Qais Ahmad under the guidance of Warne would prove to be unstoppable. With Rajasthan Royals having 20.95 crores left in the purse, they will be the front-runners to buy Qais Ahmad.

#1 Kings XI Punjab

Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Qais Ahmad

Despite having their best start to the campaign last season, Kings XI Punjab lost their way in the middle and struggled to regain their golden touch back. They finished as low as the 7th position in the points table with 12 points from 14 matches.

Their inability to qualify for the playoffs can be attributed to their lack of secondary spinner to assist Mujeeb Ur Rahman. While Mujeeb Ur Rahman had a terrific season, Ravichandran Ashwin failed to perform and was hammered away for runs.

They would surely look to buy Qais Ahmad who can turn the tides in their favour and perfectly assist fellow Afghan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman. The deadly duo of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Qais Ahmed worked wonders for Afghanistan in the ICC U-19 World Cup.

With Kings XI Punjab having a purse of 36.20 crores, they could go up to any extent to acquire Qais Ahmad.