IPL 2018: Meet the youngest player in IPL history- Mujeeb Ur Rahman

One of the best things about the IPL is how it blends youth with experience. Young, upcoming talents get to play alongside some of the game's best and most experienced. Every year there are some exceptional young players taking part, with 17-year-olds featuring regularly. Ishan Kishan, Rahul Chahar and Washington Sundar all made their debuts when they were 17.

However, this year there is a new kid on the block. At the time of the auction, Afghanistan off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman was just 16 years of age. It was his birthday late in March, but he still remains the youngest player of all time. Regardless of when he makes his debut, provided he does this season, Rahman will be the youngest debutant in the history of the competition. The Kings XI Punjab bought him for a huge 4 crore. There has been a lot of hype around him, but who is he?

Who is he?

Mujeeb was born in the city of Khost which is where he grew up and made his name. He played for his province's U-17 side at a young age and soon afterwards represented Khost's senior side. He made his List A debut in August 2017, as he played for the Speen Ghar Region against the Band-e-Amir Region. He was the pick of the bowlers on his debut as he took 10-1-29-3 to bowl the opposition out for 194. This was the moment in which his cricketing career really took off. A few months later his international call-up came and he has not looked back since.

Why was he so expensive?

When Mujeeb earned a place in Afghanistan's U-19 side, he made the most of it. When they toured Bangladesh, Mujeeb bowled with the new ball for Afghanistan. He picked up eight wickets in the first three ODIs. However, he then took a phenomenal 7-19 in his next match, which was one of the best bowling figures of all time (at least in youth ODIs). His tally of 17 wickets in the bilateral series is the highest ever in bilateral youth ODI series. Performances like that do not go unnoticed and he was soon called up to Afghanistan's international side.

Mujeeb took four wickets in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers final against the West Indies

He has now played 15 ODIs for his country and two T20Is. In his short T20 career, he has been exceptional and has an economy of below six. His ODI record is equally strong: 35 wickets in fifteen matches with an economy a tad over four.

He impressed in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers as he constantly took wickets and bowled economically. In particular, his performance in the final against the West Indies was sublime, as he bowled 9.5-0-43-4. Kings XI Punjab paid for his incredible talent and natural ability and he could be a lethal weapon for them.

What can we expect?

It is unclear how much game time Mujeeb will get with the Kings XI. Since Ravichandran Ashwin is their captain he is guaranteed to start, meaning that there is room for perhaps one more frontline spinner. However, this spot is likely to go to Axar Patel. Indeed, Patel was the only player retained by KXIP before the auction and the management team clearly have a lot of faith in his ability.

Moreover, Patel can provide handy contributions with the bat as well. This no doubt gives him the edge over Mujeeb. Nevertheless, as the tournament progresses and the team's fortunes rise and fall, Rahman will get some game time I am sure. He is one of the most exciting talents around at the moment and could soon follow in Rashid Khan's footsteps as he looks to take the cricketing world by storm.