2006-born Afghanistan right-arm off-break bowler Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar was sold to Mumbai Indians for Rs 4.80 Crore on the second day of the IPL Mega Auction.
“Afghan Jalebi at Mumbai Indians!,” the five-times champions said on X (formerly Twitter) after buying the mystery spinner. Mumbai Indians also shared an image of the “Mystery Machine” van from the Scooby Doo animation series.
Ghazanfar was brought in as an injury replacement for his compatriot Mujeeb Ur Rahman by KKR last season but was not used in any of the games. Thus, the Afghan prodigy will make his IPL debut in the famous blue shirt of the Paltans.
The 18-year-old, who was part of Kolkata Knight Riders, had his base price at Rs 75 lakh. The KKR raised their paddle for their former player quickly, only to be joined by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the bidding. The two teams kept trying to get the young spinner on board despite the price crossing Rs 1.50 crore. The bidding went on until RCB finally backed out when KKR confirmed that they were ready to pay Rs 2 Crore for the services of Ghazanfar.
However, Mumbai Indians came in at Rs 2.40 crore, initiating another bidding war with KKR. The defending champions had no issue in splashing well above Rs 4 Crore for their former spinner who was brilliant against South Africa in the recent series. However, after an epic bidding war that almost took Ghazanfar’s price tag to Rs 5 Crore, KKR decided to back out.
Who is Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar?
He has picked up 12 wickets from 8 ODI matches so far at and Economy of 4.36. The youngster made his ODI debut for Afghanistan against Ireland in March. His three-wicket haul in a win over South Africa and a six-wicket performance against Bangladesh further showcased his unparalleled talent. Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar’s contributions (six wickets in four matches) led to Afghanistan’s triumph in the Emerging Teams Asia Cup.
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Capable of hitting a few beyond the boundary rope, Allah Ghazanfar is an asset to any T20 team.
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