Rehan Ahmed, a promising young cricketer, may be able to further his meteoric rise by landing a contract with the Indian Premier League.
Rehan Ahmed, a promising young cricketer, may soon join the ranks of the world’s elite if he is awarded a contract with the Indian Premier League. England’s youngest male Test cricketer, the 18-year-old leg-spinner made his debut in the most recent match of the series in Pakistan. After that, he helped England to a 3-0 series sweep by becoming the youngest debutant from any country to capture five wickets in an innings with his 5-48 in Karachi.
Just days before the player auction in Kochi for the lucrative IPL on Friday, his performance in an eight-wicket triumph alerted the rest of the cricketing world to his unquestionable skill.
Twenty-seven English players, including Ahmed, will be auctioned off.
According to sources, Ahmed would rather begin the County Championship season with Leicestershire in April than play in the Twenty20 franchise league.
The England coaching staff thinks the Indian Premier League will help, rather than hinder, Ahmed’s development, despite the fact that he had only played three first-class matches prior to making his Test debut.
Coach of the England red ball team and a veteran of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Brendon McCullum, was excited by the idea of Ahmed playing in a league that comprises many of the best cricket players in the world.
In an interview with BBC Radio this week, the former New Zealand captain said: “If Ahmed did that, that’d be so cool! From my own experience, I can say that the IPL may be a hit or a miss for guys on both sides of the fence. Sure, why not?”
For McCullum: “Why not take advantage of the chance to play for a new team, with a new coach, a new captain, and new teammates? Where else in cricket is an 18-year-old kid going to get those kinds of opportunities? As far as I’m concerned, we should promote it.”
