Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have named young Afghanistan off-spinner Allah Ghazanfar as a replacement for injured country-mate Mujeeb Ur Rahman for the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). South Africa’s left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj has joined Rajasthan Royals (RR) as a replacement for injured India pacer Prasidh Krishna.
Allah Ghazanfar, 16, has represented Afghanistan in two ODIs this year. The youngster has played three T20s and six List A matches and has five and four wickets respectively against his name.
At 15, Ghazanfar was the youngest player in the 2023 IPL player auction, where he went unsold in December 2022. He also played for Afghanistan in this year’s U19 World Cup in South Africa. Ghazanfar joins KKR for his base price of Rs 20 lakh.
On the other hand, Krishna recently underwent surgery on his left proximal quadriceps tendon and is currently recovering from it, thus ruling him out of this year’s IPL. His replacement Maharaj has played 27 T20Is, 44 ODIs and 50 Tests and has scalped 237 wickets in international cricket.
Additionally, he has played 159 T20s, picking up 130 wickets and can chip in with some handy runs with the bat. Till recently, the Durban-based Maharaj had been training with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) team in the ongoing competition.
“Keshav (Maharaj) is a great addition to our squad with his quality and understanding of the game. He is hugely experienced and an outstanding individual off the field as well. His addition will further improve the depth and quality of our squad, and we look forward to having him contribute with his performances,” said Kumar Sangakkara, RR’s Director of Cricket.
RR have now brought him on board for his base price of Rs 50 lakh, making it Maharaj’s first-ever foray into the IPL. Maharaj will be eligible for selection for the team's next match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 1 April.
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