Former Indian cricketer and current commentator Sanjay Manjrekar and former Australian cricketer Tom Moody picked Pakistan players that would shine in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Pakistan captain Babar Azam, ace batter Mohammad Rizwan and star all-rounder Shadab Khan would have all bagged multi-million dollar deals according to Moody and Manjrekar.
“Shaheen Afridi, Babar Azam, Rizwan and Shadab Khan. They have got a number of terrific players, particularly in this format of the game. Shaheen would be your No.1 pick, he would be box office," Moody was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Manjrekar also backed the likes of Rizwan and Shadab while he also mentioned the name of Haris Rauf, and Fakhar Zaman, two more players who would bring immense value to any side.
“One of the best death bowlers, Haris Rauf. I think about their bowlers more than their batters. But Fakhar Zaman would be an interesting choice in certain teams," said Manjrekar.
“Rizwan is somebody who plays the anchor’s role. Sometimes, I tend to get worried when Babar and Rizwan bat together," the cricketer-turned-commentator added.
The last time Pakistani players played in the IPL was in its first edition, where Kamran Akmal, Sohail Tanvir and Younis Khan were part of Rajasthan Royals (RR) who won the tournament. The likes of Shoaib Akhter, Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi also participated in the first edition.
Sohail Tanvir was the highest wicket taker of the tournament as he helped Rajasthan win the tournament taking 22 wickets in 11 matches with his best bowling figure of 14/6 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Umar Gul also took 12 wickets in six innings while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Meanwhile, Kamran Akmal was the wicketkeeper with second most dismissals, 9, in just six innings while playing for RR.
Earlier, CSK clinched a record-equalling fifth IPL title after win over Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets (DLS method) in the final on Monday (May 29).
In a high-stakes match, CSK successfully chased down a revised target of 171 runs in 15 overs. Devon Conway contributed a vital knock of 47 runs, while Shivam Dube remained unbeaten on 32 runs to guide CSK to victory.