According to a report, KKR, RCB, and CSK have shown interest in India's latest sensation.
Three IPL franchises have recently shown interest in a talented Indian youngster and are looking to sign him for the IPL 2024. The player is India’s latest Test debutant Sarfaraz Khan. Sarfaraz surprisingly remained unsold in IPL 2024 auction, held in December 2023.
Sarfaraz was earlier part of Delhi Capitals but was released ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. He had a poor IPL 2023 where he scored just 53 runs from four matches. He could not find any team in IPL 2024 despite having a base price of INR 20 lakhs. But his recent performances, especially in his Test debut, might have forced the franchises to sign him.
Sarfaraz had a memorable Test debut at Rajkot recently against England where he smashed two half-centuries. His form with India A has been good as well and has consistently scored runs in domestic cricket. His consistency with the bat might be important for a team during a lengthy tournament like IPL.
According to a report in Bengali newspaper daily Anandabazar Patrika, KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir has pushed his franchise for the signing of Sarfaraz Khan. The report also states that Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings are the other two franchises which have shown interest in the talented right-hand batter.
All the three franchises Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Chennai Super Kings have enough money left in their purse to go for Sarfaraz. While RCB have the biggest purse of INR 2.85 crore, KKR and CSK are left with INR 1.35 crore and INR 1 crore respectively.
Sarfaraz had made headlines in 2015 when he was roped in by RCB for 50 lakhs. He was just 17 and was the youngest player to play the IPL at that time. Overall, he has scored 585 runs in 50 IPL matches at an average of 22.50. But it was his runs in domestic cricket that earned him an India Test call-up.
