He has played nine IPL games before.
Ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, former Punjab Kings (PBKS) all-rounder Sikandar Raza has been one of the most consistent players for Zimbabwe and gave another all-round performance against Sri Lanka last night. His heroics helped his team register a thumping victory over the Lankan side in Rawalpindi.
Firstly, Raza scored 47 runs in 32 balls, including three boundaries and two maximums, at a strike rate of 146.88. Later, he bowled an economical spell of 1/23 at a frugal rate of 5.80 in four overs and won the Player of the Match award.
He has lately been in good form, especially with the bat, as his recent five scores of 47, 34*, 51, 37, & 1 suggest. Raza was Zimbabwe’s highest run-scorer in the T20I series against Afghanistan and also took three wickets in one of the games, even though his team suffered a clean sweep against the Afghans.
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Overall, he has 476 runs at an average of 23.80 and a strike rate of 127.61 in 23 T20I innings, including two fifties, this year. Additionally, the all-rounder has 21 wickets at 23 runs apiece in 21 outings.
After playing a few matches across two seasons for the Punjab Kings, Sikandar Raza was unsold in the previous auction, mainly due to the availability of other quality options. However, he has a chance of earning a bid in the IPL 2026 auction since several teams require a spin-bowling all-rounder in their squads.
For instance, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won’t have the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Deepak Hooda, which would open a slot for Sikandar Raza to take the role of a finger spinner who contributes with the bat. Similarly, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have let Moeen Ali, while Rajasthan Royals (RR) have parted ways with Wanindu Hasaranga.
In these teams, the Zimbabwe player can be a first-choice starter, especially since he has proven his worth in the league before. Raza has been unfortunate for not playing enough games in the league despite being a quality player over a long period of time.
However, Raza’s recent form has been tempting enough to give him another chance, and he won’t cost a big sum either. There’s ample value in him as a player, and a few teams can plug a crucial gap with his acquisition at a reasonable price in the upcoming IPL 2026 auction.
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