Afghanistan cricketers Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman both went unsold in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 auction on Friday, while right-arm medium fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq was picked up by Lucknow Super Giant.
Nabi had set a base price INR 1 crore ($120,000) but received no bids.
Nabi was a member of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2022, which could have been a factor in his lack of bids. The Afghanistan veteran was unable to play any games for KKR and thus had nothing to show IPL team management.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman another star Afghanistan player, also went unsold. He had also set a base price of INR 1 crore for the auction.
Mujeeb did not participate in the IPL 2022. He played for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 2021 season and only played one match in that season where he took two wickets. He was later released by the franchise.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan right-arm medium fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq, was picked up by Lucknow Super Giants on Friday.
Naveen-ul-Haq was picked by LSG for 50 lakh Indian rupees ($60,000). He was among 405 players who went under the hammer in the auction in Kochi. Rashid Khan was already retained by defending champions Gujrat Titans.
The auction saw INR 167 crore ($20 million) splurged by franchises to fetch 80 players.
English all-rounder Sam Curran, who was bought for INR 18.5 crore ($2.2 million), became the most expensive player in the history of IPL.
