Afghan players will be in high demand in the mega IPL 2025 auction. Their performance as a cricketing nation has improved by leaps and bounds despite all the political and social problems the country has been facing in the recent past.
Cricket keeps the people of the country alive in many ways and hence its players must regularly play in the IPL. Rashid Khan, its elder statesman, has played in all the T20 leagues and has achieved supreme success in all of them.
Slowly, the rest of the players have followed in their footsteps and made their mark in various T20 leagues. Afghanistan reached the semi-finals of the just-concluded T20 World Cup where they beat some heavyweights and also put in some notable performances.
Afghanistan’s recent success at the T20 World Cup will make franchises keep a closer eye on their players ahead of the upcoming mega auction. Several points were discussed at the meeting between franchise owners and the BCCI.
The BCCI said it will review the suggestions and take a decision by the end of the month. In this article, we look at five Afghan players who may retire from T20 cricket if they are not selected in the auction.
Afghan legends to retire from T20 if not called up for IPL 2025
Muhammad the Prophet
The former Afghanistan captain will be 40 when the next UIPL season begins. He last represented Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2024 and played just a handful of matches for the franchise. He played for Sunrisers Hyderabad before joining Mumbai Indians.
He has played in T020 leagues around the world but is yet to put up any impactful performances in the IPL.
Nabi said that he wants to play international cricket till the next T20 World Cup but if he fails to sell his team in the upcoming auction, he may think about retiring from IPL cricket.
Gulbadin’s vice
DC signed Gulbadin Naib as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh, who had to return home with a hamstring injury ahead of the T20 World Cup. The all-rounder has played a lot of international cricket before making his IPL debut.
He is a good short-format cricketer with good all-round skills. He recently had some impressive performances in the T20 World Cup as well.
In the upcoming auction, teams are looking for all-rounders who can bowl from the seam and Naib can be a good option. However, he will be competing with the best all-rounders in the world.
Ibrahim Zadran
With most teams already having their starting line-up set, it will be difficult for someone like Zadran to make it through to the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. For teams that want a solid top-order opener, Zadran is the answer.
The team is also looking for a revamp and this is where Zadran has a chance to be picked. He has also been among the best in international cricket in 2024.
Naveen Ul Haq
Naveen is currently with Lucknow Super Giants. It will be interesting to see if they retain him. In his first two years with the franchise, Naveen has picked up 25 wickets in 18 matches for the franchise. He picked up 14 of them in 2024.
The Afghanistan player has retired from ODI cricket and is currently playing only in the T20I format. He has also played in T20 leagues. In case he is not picked for the IPL, he may think of retiring from the format.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Mujeen played for KKR in IPL 2024. However, he was ruled out due to injury. He made his IPL debut for Punjab Kings in IPL 2018 but has not played in the league regularly since then.
In the IPL 2024 auction, KKR picked him for his base price of 20 lakhs. However, he was ruled out due to injury and KKR named Allah Ghazanfar as his replacement, who is also from Afghanistan.
If he ends up unsold in IPL 2025, it will be almost impossible for Mujeeb to return to the IPL.
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