Afghanistan prodigy Mujeeb Zadran aka Mujeeb Ur Rahman became the highest-paid Under-19 player in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 auctions. Mujeeb was picked by Kings XI Punjab for a whopping Rs 4 crore. The 17-year-old started playing international cricket when he was just 16 years old. He is also the first male cricketer to be born in the 21st century to make his international debut. But do you know how old Mujeeb was when IPL’s first season started?
Mujeeb was just a 7-year-old kid when IPL’s first season kicked off on April 18, 2008, and Brendon McCullum became the first batsman to score a century on his IPL debut. Now Mujeeb has become one of the most prominent players to look out for in the 11th edition of the cash-rich tournament making his debut aged 17 years, 11 days.
Mujeeb made his mark in Under-19 Asia Cup 2017 which Afghanistan won by beating Pakistan. His five-wicket haul in the final made headlines. Soon enough, he was picked in Afghanistan’s senior squad. He featured in the Under-19 World Cup 2017 as well.
Despite being inexperienced, Mujeeb’s economy rate has been remarkable in limited overs cricket. He has taken 35 wickets from 15 ODIs already. He has played just two T20Is and picked up two wickets. However, this does not do justice to the talent he possesses. He will become the third Afghan player to play in the IPL after Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi.
With KXIP taking on Delhi Daredevils, Mujeeb has officially entered the IPL record books by becoming the youngest player to play in the tournament.
Here are the five youngest players to feature in IPL so far —
5. Ishan Kishan (Gujarat Lions)
Kishan made his debut for Gujarat Lions (GL) in 2016. The skipper of India’s Under-19 World Cup 2016 team played his first IPL match on April 11, 2016, against KXIP at the age of 17 years and 268 days.
After a disappointing debut season, Kishan played well in the 10th season and played a crucial role in the batting lineup despite GL’s early exit from the tournament. The wicketkeeper-batsman was picked for a whopping Rs 6.20 crore in IPL 2018 auctions.
4. Rahul Chahar (Rising Pune Supergiants)
Chahar made his debut for RPS in 2017. He played just three matches in the previous season. The leg-spinner made his debut against KXIP on April 8, 2017, at the age of 17 years and 242 days. He made a mark straightaway by taking Hashim Amla’s wicket.
The 18-year-old had Mumbai Indians (MI) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) bidding for him. Rohit Sharma-led MI got his services for Rs 1.9 crore against his base price of Rs 20 lakh.
3. Washington Sundar (Rising Pune Supergiants)
Sundar played his debut IPL match for RPS in 2016. The bowling all-rounder replaced an injured Ravichandran Ashwin in the team. He made his debut against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) aged 17 years and 199 days.
Sundar was picked for Rs 3.20 crore by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The 18-year-old was recently named the ‘Man of the Series’ in the Nidahas Trophy tri-nation series. He will play under Virat Kohli this season. RCB might benefit from an off-spinner who is able to score runs in case of a batting collapse.
2. Pradeep Sangwan (Delhi Daredevils)
In the inaugural season of IPL, Sangwan was then the youngest IPL player to take to the field. He was a part of India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2007 led by Kohli. The left-arm pacer made his IPL debut aged 17 years and 199 days.
DD tried getting him on the side this time as well but lost the bidding war to MI in the auctions. He was picked for Rs 1.5 crore.
ALSO READ: IPL 2018, KXIP vs DD, Match 2: Gautam Gambhir Needs To Score Big To Go Past Rohit Sharma
1. Sarfraz Khan (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Sarfraz made his IPL debut aged 17 years and 177 days against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2015. Sarfraz’s cameos earned him a regular spot in RCB in 2015. However, he was in and out of the side in 2016. The 20-year-old missed out on the previous year of IPL due to injury in the practice match.
Sarfraz is the only player on the list who was retained during IPL 2018 retentions. He was retained for Rs 1.75 crore by RCB along with skipper Kohli and AB de Villiers.
