At just 21 years of age, Shaheen Shah Afridi is the hottest property in T20 cricket. Thanks to his heroics with the ball, Lahore Qalandars have been able to lift the coveted Pakistan Super League (PSL) trophy for the first time since the inception of the tournament.
Since he is inarguably the best strike bowler in T20 cricket, the 2021 ICC Cricketer of the Year would be worth more than any of the most expensive pacers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, Ian Pont, former Englishman, and fast bowling coach has claimed.
Lockie Ferguson, Pradish Krishna, Avesh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, and Jason Holder are the five pacers who went for the highest bids in this year’s IPL auction that was held earlier this month.
Lockie Ferguson, Pradish Krishna, and Avesh Khan have each been picked by Gujarat Titans, Rajashtan Royals, and Avesh Khan for INR 100 million respectively while Kagiso Rabada has been picked by Punjab Kings for INR 90 million and Jason Holder by Lucknow Super Giants for INR 80.75 million.
Certainly, there is no doubt that they are extremely competitive T20 bowlers. However, none of them comes close to Shaheen Afridi when it comes to strike bowling in T20 cricket and his recent performances are a testament to Ian Pont’s claim.
Let’s have closer look at how Lahore Qalandars’ skipper lines up against the top five most expensive bowlers picked in the recent IPL auction:
| Bowler | Matches | Wickets | Best Figures | Average | Economy | Strike Rate | 4W | 5W |
| Shaheen Afridi | 118 | 163 | 6/19 | 21.09 | 7.72 | 16.3 | 1 | 4 |
| Lockie Ferguson | 96 | 112 | 5/21 | 22.50 | 7.54 | 17.8 | 3 | 1 |
| Pradish Krishna | 54 | 48 | 4/30 | 34.83 | 8.67 | 24.1 | 1 | 0 |
| Avesh Khan | 50 | 67 | 5/17 | 21.64 | 7.79 | 16.6 | 1 | 1 |
| Kagiso Rabada | 135 | 180 | 4/21 | 21.74 | 7.88 | 16.5 | 5 | 0 |
| Jason Holder | 164 | 154 | 5/27 | 28.01 | 7.79 | 21.5 | 4 | 1 |
How much do you think Shaheen would have been paid in the IPL if he was a part of the league? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
