IPL 2023 Auction: Youngest player in IPL auction Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar draws inspiration from Ravichandran Ashwin

Afghanistan’s emerging right-arm off-spinner Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar might only be 15 years old and at a time when kids of his age are focusing on academics, the youngster has already found his calling in cricket and is determined to excel at the sport.

Ghazanfar became the youngst-ever player in the auction history when he enrolled his name for the upcoming IPL 2023 auction which is set to take place in Kochi on December 23. He has set his base price at INR 20 lakh.

Meanwhile, Ghazanfar said that the veteran Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, inspires him.

Ravichandran Ashwin has been a champion spinner for India: Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar

“Ashwin has been a champion spinner for India, and I like his variations. I have always considered him my inspiration,” Ghazanfar told Sportstar from Kabul.

At the same time, the budding spinner who stands at 6 feet 2 inches tall opened up on how he started developing a love for the game and why he wants to play the lucrative tournament at such a young age.

“I started with tennis ball cricket and would play in my neighborhood, but under the guidance of my coach, I started bowling spin, and soon, I developed an action, and there hasn’t been any looking back since,” the youngster added.

“I have played a fair bit of junior cricket, and my ultimate target is to play for Afghanistan. The IPL will help me improve my game as I would be able to learn quite a few things from the Indian and overseas players, and I am really looking forward to the experience. I hope to get picked by a franchise,” he said.

It would be interesting to see whether any of the 10 franchises show interest in the Afghan teenager. He will, however, be keen to prove his mettle in the world’s toughest T20 league.

Ghazanfar had also registered his name for the Big Bash League (BBL) auction earlier this year, but he found no takers.