CSK splashed INR 10 crores for him at the IPL 2025 auction.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might have thought they had a quality spinner on their roster after splashing INR 10 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction for Noor Ahmad.
But turns out the Afghanistan youngster can also bat properly as he showcased it in a net session video ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025 opening match against South Africa on Friday.
The 20-year-old was seen playing classical shots such as cover drive, pull and straight drive while facing a throwdown specialist. The most impressive part of Ahmad’s batting was how good he was middling the ball while playing fast deliveries landing in tough areas.
It’s been just two years since the left-arm wrist spinner made his international debut but he already has 132 T20 appearances under his belt having played 23 matches for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 and 2024 seasons.
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Ahmad has 180 wickets claimed from having played leagues in South Africa, England, Sri Lanka, India, Caribbean, UAE, USA, Pakistan and Australia.
Ahmad was in excellent form in the recently-concluded SA20 2024-25 by claiming 13 wickets from 10 games at an economy of 6.9. The left-armer was in fine touch even though his team Durban Super Giants fared terribly, finishing bottom of the league table with 12 points from 10 games.
Afghanistan’s practice games have also been fruitful for Ahmad who claimed 2-37 in the unofficial ODI against New Zealand and 2-37 against local side Shaheens in Lahore.
Over the last two seasons of IPL, Ahmad has claimed 24 wickets with an economy of 8. Last year was a woeful year for both Noor and Gujarat Titans as the spinner’s paltry return of nine wickets from 10 matches couldn’t prevent his team from finishing eighth in the table.
CSK will be hoping the youngster will be fully ready for the IPL 2025 as they finished fifth and missed out on a playoffs spot after being narrowly edged by rivals Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Net Run Rate. The five-time champions are set to begin their IPL 2025 campaign on March 23 against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians followed by a clash against RCB on March 28.
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