IPL 2019: 3 Teams that should pick Hazratullah Zazai

Afghanistan is one of those countries which has unearthed some of the best spinners in recent times. Be it Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman or anyone else, they’ve all created waves in global cricket within no time. However, it is with their batsmen that the country has struggled. They haven’t found many players as reliable with the willow in hand. But the young Hazratullah Zazai seems to have thrown some light at the other end of the tunnel at the moment.

Zazai has been on a run-scoring spree of late. At just 20 years of age, he has shown some great skill and has excelled at the highest level. His tall, hulky presence in the middle itself is quite intimidating for the bowlers. In the recently concluded Afghanistan Premier League (APL), the hard-hitting batsman ended as the second-highest run-scorer with 322 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 194.

He struck 21 sixes and 34 fours in the league and was truly entertaining. Also, he levelled both Yuvraj Singh and Chris Gayle as he got to his fifty in just 12 balls. This is not all. He struck six sixes in one over to join some legendary cricketers in he list to achieve the feat. Hence, he could be getting huge bids this year in the IPL auction.

The teams that would be eyeing at Hazratullah Zazai:

1. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

The Royal Challengers Bangalore haven’t had a stable opening pair in IPL 2018. They had Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel, Quinton de Kock and a few other players who opened for them in the season. But none of the pairs were very consistent with their performances.

Also, RCB parted ways with Quinton de Kock for the upcoming season. Mandeep Singh was traded for Marcus Stoinis. Hence, Hazratullah Zazai could be that right fit at the top of the order being someone like a Chris Gayle who could provide some great starts for the team up front. It gives Virat Kohli also the freedom to bat at number three with AB de Villiers to follow him.