IPL 2024: "I Want To Play For RCB And Help Virat Kohli Win His First IPL Title.."- Afghanistan Star's Bold Claim

Ahead of the much-awaited auction for the next season of the Indian Premier League ((IPL), Afghanistan batsman Najibullah Zadran has revealed his IPL goals. He has stated that RCB is his favorite team in IPL and he wants Virat Kohli to win the IPL trophy. The left-handed batsman has registered his name for the auction at the base price of Rs 50 lakh.

RCB have been one of the unluckiest sides in the history of the Indian Premier League. RCB has always boasted of quality players and have still not managed to win the IPL even once. The closest that RCB came to winning the title was in 2016 when they lost the final to SRH. Faf du Plessis will be leading RCB in IPL 2024.

The 30-year-old was a part of the Afghanistan squad that recently impressed the cricketing world with their performance in the ODI World Cup. The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side beat the likes of England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka and were in the semifinal race until the final stages of the competition. They eventually finished at the sixth spot in the points table ahead of the likes of England, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

And while most of the Afghan players managed to impress, Najibullah Zadran failed to make much of an impact. He played in the first two matches of the competition and scored only 7 runs before deciding to voluntarily step back from the playing XI.

While he could not impress in the Indian conditions, Najibullah Zadran is hopeful of getting his first-ever IPL contract. He also revealed his IPL goal, saying that he wants to join Royal Challengers Bangalore and help Virat Kohli win his first IPL title.

Want RCB to win the IPL title: Zadran

“Every player dreams of playing in the IPL. So is mine. I want to play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Virat Kohli hasn’t won the IPL, and hopefully, this time, we win it,” Najibullah Zadran told Hindustan Times.

While the left-hander did not enjoy a good outing in the World Cup, he has an impressive record in T20Is. In 94 games so far, he has scored 1712 runs at a strike rate of almost 140 and an average of over 31. He also has eight half-centuries to his name in the shortest format of the game.

Najibullah Zadran on voluntarily stepping back from playing XI:

Speaking further, Najibullah Zadran opened up on his decision to step back from the playing eleven after failing to do well in the first two games of the World Cup. The middle-order batsman stated that he was struggling with his form and decided to make way for the youngsters.

“Honestly, I was not in form. I didn’t play my best in the last series before the World Cup (against Pakistan) as well. So, I approached the coach myself and told him that I want to rest. I said, give the opportunities to youngsters instead.

“It is better for the team and better for me. I was sharing my experience from the bench, and helping the players on the field. In the end, what was the most important thing was that our team won matches,” said Najibullah Zadran.