Rashid Khan was retained by SRH for Rs 9 crore.
Rashid Khan, Afghanistan’s ‘million-dollar baby’, was retained by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping Rs 9 crore at the IPL auction of 2018 on Saturday. The son of a car wheel importer, Khan was bought for a sum of Rs 4 crore by SRH in the IPL 2017 auction. But on the first day of the 2018 auction, his price surged upward by another 5 crores as a tug of war ensued on the bidding table. Beginning at a base price of 2 crores, Khan’s bidding witnessed Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Mumbai Indians (MI) going all guns blazing. Auctioneer Richard Madley was equally animated as franchises kept raising the bids before KXIP sealed the deal at Rs 9 crore. However, quite expectedly, SRH used their Right to Match option and retained his services.
Rashid Khan is indisputably one of the best T20 bowlers in world cricket and his high auction price is not much of a surprise. Since his debut, he has maintained an impressive economy rate of 5.86. He was equally proficient in his first season of the IPL wherein he played 14 matches and scalped 17 wickets at an economy rate of 6.63. Khan is currently plying his trade for Adelaide Strikers in Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) and has claimed 17 wickets in this year’s league.
We’re so thrilled to have our spin sensation back into the battalion.
It’s time to #LiveOrange this #IPL2018 .
Hyderabad and lots of biryani waits @rashidkhan_19 .#OrangeArmy #IPLAuction pic.twitter.com/IweaHU5Ifq— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) 27 January 2018
Before the auctions, Rashid had expressed his desire to continue with the SRH as he had done well for them. “I had a one-season deal so I will go back to the auction. Hopefully, Sunrisers will take me in the auction and that is what it looks like to me. I did well for them,” he had said.
