IPL 2018: Why Mujeeb Zadran was picked reveals KXIP co-owner Preity Zinta

Going by the words of the Kings XI Punjab co-owner Preity Zinta, who remarked the teenage sensation Mujeeb Zadran was picked by the IPL franchise for its upcoming edition following the tidbits from the management.

“His (Mujeeb Zadran) name was always there…,” Preity was quoted as saying by PTI when she was talking to the reporters after the culmination of the much-awaited auction which saw 578 players underwent the hammer.

Preity witnesses riveting auction:

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

Preity, who has shown a keen interest in cricket, further saw the brand-new auction sprung a couple of surprises which saw the youngsters grabbing the headlines and were most-sought after picks for the distinct franchises particular of the second-day of the mega-auction in Bengaluru.

IPL Auction, 2018 and KXIP squad strength:

KXIP has strengthened the maximum squad to 21 which subsequently saw the local youngsters becoming the focus of attention, as Zadran is seen as the complete prospect owing to his ability to ball googlies.

Moreover, Zinta, who looked to go for every player witnessed Chennai Super Kings breaking into the bidding war twice while exercising the Right to Match cards which further saw the former Bollywood actress expressing dislike for the new procedure inducted in the league by the IPL Governing Council.

Mystery or mind behind the selection?

Talking about the mystery regarding the 16-year-old off-spinner Zadran, who has further become the overall youngest player to represent the Punjab-based IPL franchise after Mitchell Marsh, who featured for the than Hyderabad-based outfit Deccan Chargers in 2010.

“He has been an interesting talent and a bit of a mystery, so we went for him,” Preity maintained.

The element of mystery has forced Punjab to go for Zadran after the inputs from scouting team alongside the chief mentor Virender Sehwag.

“It was a joint effort of the coaching and scouting staff,” Zinta revealed.

Zadran is currently representing?

The Khost-based Zadran is concurrent with the Afghanistan Under-19 team which further saw him delivering best for his national side after breaking into the fold against Ireland in December 2017 in the United Arab Emirates.

Participating in the ongoing ICC’s U-19 World Cup, Zadran has been banking on his strength which saw him steamrolling hosts New Zealand to qualify for the semi-final clash.

KXIP shelled out the staggering INR four crore for Zadran, who will play with the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuvraj Singh and Chris Gayle in particular.

Only retention player:

Concluding, in the retention list, Punjab availed the service of the solitary bowling allrounder Axar Patel on January four after spending whopping INR 12.5 crore.

Here’s for you from the cash-rich league: Indian Premier League, 2018