IPL Auction 2018: Meet 16-year-old Afghanistani Mujeeb Zardan who became the youngest crorepati

Zardan is the first-ever cricket of the 21st century to represent international cricket other than women cricketers

Ankit Banerjee
Jan 28, 2018

It was Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Zardan who set the Indian Premier League auctions on fire on Day 2. The 16-year-old became the youngest cricketer to become an IPL crorepati. Khist-born Zardan was bought by Kings XI Punjab for a whopping Rs 4 cr, with his base price set at Rs 20 lakh. So, the four Afghani cricketers who will feature in the IPL 2018 are Zardan, Mohammed Nabi (1 cr), Rashid Khan (9 cr) and Zaheer Khan Pakteen (60 lakhs). This is a big moment for the Afghanistani cricketers, who are ticking the right boxes even at the international level. He went for Rs 4 cr after Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils locked horns for him at the auction table.

ALSO READ: IPL Auctions 2018: Jayadev Unadkat to Sandeep Lamichhane, records & firsts that were created while bidding

Timed to perfection:

He claimed four wickets after giving away 14 runs on January 25, 2018, in the ongoing U-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.

TRP:

He bowls off-spin but can mix it up with an odd leg break as well, that makes him hard to pick.

Idol:

The youngster follows the footsteps of Rashid Khan.

Here’s the list of facts about IPL’s youngest bowling sensation Mujeeb Zadran:

The 16-year old is the ninth-youngest player in the world to play ODI cricket.
Born on 28th March 2001, Zadran made his ODI debut against Ireland at Sharjah on December 5, 2017
He is the youngest player in Afghanistan cricket history to represent the national side at the highest level.
At the age of 16 years and 252 days to be precise, Zadran made his entry into the international fold after going past Naveen-Ul-Haq, who’s the Under-19 captain of the Afghan team.
Zadran is the first-ever cricketer born after 2000 to represent international cricket other than women cricketers.
The off-spinner claimed the best figures of seven for 19 against Bangladesh in Youth ODI cricket.
In Youth ODI cricket, Zadran already has three five-fors and a solitary six-for under his belt.
In three ODIs, Zadran bagged seven wickets at the average of 16.57.
Zadran has also been the part of Bangladesh Premier League franchise Comilla Victorians.

We will surely have our eyes on this youngster to see how he fares at the upcoming IPL. With all teams picked, it is time to get them to practice and work out the combinations and permutations.