Emotional Rashid surprised by IPL deal
Before this year no player from Afghanistan had ever played in the IPL but in 2017 we will see two players from the associate member turn out in the biggest domestic T20 tournament in the world.
Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi were snapped up by defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad who had to fight off the attentions of the Mumbai Indians to secure Rashid.
The young leg spinner was on tour with Afghanistan in Zimbabwe when the auction began and had to be woken up to witness the life changing moment.
Rashid told ESPN Cricinfo: “My parents woke up early to watch the auction. I was still sleeping when they called me and told me to get up and watch because I was coming up.
“So I started to also watch it from here in Zimbabwe and I was really surprised, really happy and really excited when I saw what was happening. I couldn’t believe it actually, it happened very quickly.”
The 18-year-old will now join a squad full of some of the best players in the world including David Warner and Kane Williamson.
The young man entered the IPL auction after turning out in the Bangladesh Premier League for the Comilla Victorians with Jason Holder and Marlon Samuels who both went unsold for this campaign.
Clearly the Sunrisers and Mumbai Indians had taken in his performances in the recent Desert T20 Challenge where he took nine wickets at an incredible average of just 6.55.
Rashid told ESPN Cricinfo what sets him apart as a bowler: “What makes me different is that I am a bit quicker for a legspinner.
“That is something that just came to me naturally, not something that I copied from anyone.”
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