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Five Afghan cricket talents are expected to feature in the Indian Premier League auction 2017 which is due to be held on February 20.
It is the first time that the Afghans are present in the auction list for IPL which is the most-attended cricket league in the world.
The Afghan players who have given their names for the IPL auction are Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Mohammad Shahzad and Najeeb Zadran.
The 2017 IPL players’ auction will be held on February 20 in Bangalore.
Close to 800 players have registered for the auction, out of which a maximum of 76 players, including 28 foreigners, will be bought.
The other notable thing is that Afghanistan have highest share in the auction list as an Associate nation. They are followed by Ireland with two, UAE (1) and the Netherlands (1).
The upcoming IPL season is scheduled to begin on April 5.
Afghan players who will feature in IPL auction list are briefly introduced below:
Mohammad Nabi
An efficient allrounder – a strong middle-order batsman who can bowl flighted offspin – Nabi has been at the centre of Afghanistan since they began their rise to the international stage.
He captained the team between 2013 and 2015 and has played club and domestic cricket in England, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The 32-year-old has taken part in 52 T20 international matches taking 56 wickets with an economy rate of 6.96. His best figure stands as 4/10.
Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan is one of the most celebrate bowler for the Afghan team, who bowls in leg break googly style.
The 18-year-old has played 21 T20 international matches with an economy rate of 6.14. He has totally taken 31 wickets in the matches with the best bowling figure of 3/11.
Dawlat Zadran
A right-arm fast and medium bowler, Dawlat Zadran is also considered an experienced Afghan cricketer.
The 28-year-old has played 32 matches taking 39 wickets and with an economy rate of 7.86. Zadran was clocked at 145.3kph during the Asia Cup in 2014, and provides sort of pace rarely seen in Associate sides.
He could also be a handy sting in the tail of batting.
Mohammad Shahzad
One of the most entertaining batsmen, Shahzad has played 55 T20 international matches with an average of 31.84 and a strike rate of 136.63.
Shahzad, who also takes wicket keeping role, made 118 runs off 67 balls in a single T20 match against Zimbabwe in January last year.
In 2016, he was recognized as ICC Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year.
Najibullah Zadran
A middle-order left-hand batsman, Najibullah Zadran is also considered a big-hitting cricketer.
He scored 48 not out to help his side beat the eventual World T20 2016 champions West Indies.
The 23-year-old has played 34 T20 international matches with an average of 38.12 and a strike rate of 150.99. (1TV)
