IPL 2023: Afghanistan Pacer Naveen-ul-Haq Happy To Fulfill Parents' Dream Of Bagging An IPL Contract

Emerging Afghanistan pace bowler Naveen-ul-Haq said that he is content to realize his parents’ IPL contract goal. The right-arm speedster admitted that while not finding a franchise in the first round, he still had the optimism of doing so in the second. 

With a starting bid of 50 lakh rupees, Naveen joined the IPL 2023 mini-auction. The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) later added him to their roster. The 23-year-old will be participating in the prestigious competition for the first time. 

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Every Player Has a Dream To Play In The IPL: Naveen-ul-Haq

The 23-year-old admitted to Cricbuzz that he watched the auction from Australia at midnight and praised God for obtaining him the deal, saying: 

“Every player has a dream to play in IPL but more than my dream it was my parents’ dream to see me playing in the IPL and I’m happy to fulfill that. I am in Australia and it was around 1 at night and I was watching the auction.  

“I was unsold when my name was called first time. There was another round and I was still sitting but I had the hope and by the grace of Allah it was fulfilled.”

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The Kabul-born bowler’s T20 cricket statistics are encouraging, with 153 wickets in 122 games at an average of 22.09. He presently competes in the Big Bash League (BBL) for the Sydney Sixers.

If I Get The Chance, I Want To Repay Back The Confidence: Naveen-ul-Haq 

Naveen went on to say that he had previous experience playing for Lucknow and was eager to return their confidence in the tournament under favourable circumstances. He added: 

“Look I have played in Lucknow so there is little bit of idea because we had a series against West Indies in Lucknow and I played there. Knowing the conditions always helps and if I get the chance I want to repay back the confidence they show on me by giving 110 percent.” 

The young man feels that taking part in the competition will improve his capacity to deal with pressure in the future, saying: 

“Certainly playing in different franchise leagues will help me to absorb the pressure of IPL but saying that it is the biggest league in the world and the experience that I will gather playing there will certainly help me in the future.” 

LSG lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Eliminator round of the 2022 IPL season. 

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