New Delhi: Afghanistan off-spinner Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar turned out to be the third buy of Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction in Jeddah on Monday. The auction walked into its second and final day and began with the set of capped batters followed by capped all-rounders, wicketkeepers, pacers, and spinners at last.
While some big names and veteran players went unsold, teenage sensation Ghazanfar stunned the auction room as MI bagged him for Rs. 4.8 crore. MI’s shopping on Day 2 started with South African batter Ryan Rickleton (base price Rs. 1 crore) followed by India pacer Deepak Chahar (Rs. 9.25 crore). Ghazanfar, who has played only a few international games for Afghanistan so far, is a bright prospect in cricket’s future as his spin wizardry has grabbed many eyeballs.
𝗔𝗳𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗝𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗶 at Mumbai Indians! 💙#MumbaiMeriJaan #MumbaiIndians #TATAIPLAuction pic.twitter.com/3PRIanE10x
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) November 25, 2024
Who is Allah Ghazanfar?
Allah Ghazanfar was born on March 20, 2006, in the Paktia Province in Afghanistan. He has five older brothers and as of 2022, he is based in Kabul. He only started playing cricket in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. He initially started as a fast bowler but eventually found his solace in being an off-spinner. He bowls finger spin and has received lessons from former Afghanistan captain Dawlat Ahmadzai.
He debuted for the Afghanistan national team on March 7, 2024, against Ireland in an ODI game and last featured for the team in the same format, against Bangladesh on November 11. Both his debut and final game (so far) was at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. He has played eight ODIs for Afghanistan so far in which he has picked 12 wickets at an average of 19.83 and an economy of 4.37. His best bowling figures are 6/26. He is yet to make his Test and T20I debut for Afghanistan.
His bowling technique is often compared to Afghan international Mujeeb Ur Rahman. He currently trains at the Mirza Mohammad Katawazai Cricket Centre in Kabul and has trained with the Afghanistan national under-19 cricket team as well.
Batters be like… 𝙸𝚍𝚊𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚊, 𝚞𝚍𝚊𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚊, 𝚓𝚊𝚊𝚗𝚎 𝚔𝚊𝚑𝚊 𝚋𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚊 🤔💥#MumbaiMeriJaan #MumbaiIndians #TATAIPLAuctionpic.twitter.com/y6LMt3ZNVw
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) November 25, 2024
IPL connection
At the tender age of 15, Ghazanfar found his way to the IPL 2023 auction. He was the youngest player to enter that year’s auction and his base price was Rs. 20 lakh but he went unsold. In March 2024, Ghazanfar was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at his base price of Rs. 20 lakh, to play for them in the IPL 2024 as a replacement for Mujeeb Ur Rahman. It is noteworthy that a few days prior, MI had tried to sign him to be their nets bowler but visa issues barred him from performing that role.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman unsold
Meanwhile Ghazanfar’s senior and compatriot Mujeeb Ur Rahman shockingly went unsold at the mega auction. He was in the same set which included Ghazanfar and when his name was up for bidding, no team showed interest in going for the right-arm off-break bowler. The 23-year-old has been a regular for Afghanistan in the ODIs and T20Is and has a decent IPL experience as well.
He debuted in the IPL in 2018 with Punjab Kings (PBKS) and stayed with them till 2020. Ahead of the IPL 2021, he was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the season turned out to be his last in the cash-rich league. Meanwhile, veteran spinners like Keshav Maharaj and Adil Rashid also went unsold from the same set.
Mumbai Indians went on to pick Allah Ghazanfar on Day 2 of the IPL 2025 mega auction. They shelled out Rs. 4.8 crore on the capped spinner. Who is he? Get to know everything about him. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
