On Monday, Mumbai Indians secured 18-year-old Afghan leg-spinner Allah Ghazanfar for Rs 4.80 crore on Day 2 of the IPL mega auction. Ghazanfar, widely regarded as a future star for Afghanistan cricket, impressed with his performances, including a brilliant six-wicket haul against Bangladesh earlier this month. Known for his bounce and carrom balls, he has drawn comparisons to cricket legends like Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Last season, Ghazanfar joined Kolkata Knight Riders as a replacement for Mujeeb Ur Rahman but didn’t get a chance to play. He was a key figure in Afghanistan’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup triumph and boasts impressive T20 stats, with 29 wickets in 16 matches at an exceptional economy rate of 5.71. Though he didn’t feature in the 2024 IPL, he’s expected to make a big impact this season.
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In addition to Ghazanfar, Mumbai Indians made several notable acquisitions, including Trent Boult for Rs 12.5 crore and Deepak Chahar for Rs 9.25 crore. They also brought in Naman Dhir (Rs 5.25 crore via RTM), Robin Minz (Rs 65 lakh), Karn Sharma (Rs 50 lakh), and Ryan Rickelton (Rs 1 crore). With these signings, MI strengthened their squad while retaining key players like Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rohit Sharma, spending a total of Rs 75 crore on their core lineup.