IPL Auction 2023: The auction for the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League is set to be held on 23rd December as several players will be going under the hammer. The IPL 2023 auctions will be held in Kochi and as many as 405 players have been shortlisted for it. There are the names of several big stars who are expected to garner the huge interest of the franchises, while there are some who are looking to prove that age is just a number.
Youngest and oldest players set to feature in auctions
Interestingly, in the upcoming auctions, the youngest and the oldest players will be two spinners. Afghanistan's teenage prodigy Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar is set to be the youngest player in IPL 2023 auctions. Ghazanfar is only 15 years old and is an off-spinner. Notably, the oldest player set to feature in the bidding war will be India's veteran Amit Mishra, who is 40 years old.
Who is Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar?
Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar was born on 15th July 2007 in the Paktia Province of Afghanistan. He started off as a fast bowler but later switched to the spin department under the watchful eyes of former Afghanistan captain Dawlat Ahmadzai. Ghazanfar played in local U-16 tournaments and later went on to train with Afghanistan U-19 team. He was picked by former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan’s Mis Ainak Knights (MAK) in the Shpageeza Cricket League 2022. He played three matches for the franchise and picked 5 wickets for them. In his first outing for MAK, Ghazanfar picked 1 wicket and gave 27 runs. In the second, he scalped 4 wickets and gave 15 runs. The youngster also featured in the Pakistan Junior League and also gave his name for the Big Bash League, for which he was not picked. For IPL, Ghazanfar has kept his base price of INR 20 lakh.
Amit Mishra's IPL performance
The veteran Indian spinner has played in 154 IPL matches and has picked 166 wickets in the cash-rich tournament. Mishra went unsold in the IPL 2022 and last played for Delhi Capitals in 2021. Notably, Mishra is the only IPL player to take three hat-tricks in the tournament's history. Mishra started his IPL journey with the Delhi Daredevils from 2008-2010 and later moved to Deccan Chargers and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Mishra switched back to Delhi in 2015 and was been a vital cog in the team. The Indian leggie has kept his base price for the IPL 2023 auctions at INR 50 lakh.
