Pakistan cricket team players haven’t been a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the inaugural edition of the tournament. Geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan has forced the former to boycott cricket in the neighbouring country following 2008 and has led to PAK players being banned from participating in the IPL. Ahead of the 18th season, one can’t help but wonder how much would the “world-class” Pakistan players earn if they were allowed to take part in the marquee tournament. Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, Sohail Tanveer, Kamran Akmal, Misbah-ul-Haq are among the few Pakistan players who have featured in the IPL.
Pakistan boasts of an enormous number of talents when it comes to the shortest format of the game. Some of the notable names are Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf among the others. These stars have been a part of various T20 leagues around the globe and have even tasted success there occasionally. However, their entry into IPL riding on the back of their star power will not transalte to a higher salary. Reason – tough competition and naturally, inconsistency and poor form.
How much will Pakistan stars earn if allowed to play IPL?
The only player who deserves over double digit figures in terms of salary from Pakistan would be Babar Azam. But his form in T20Is over the past few years outshadows his stardom and surely indicated that the former Pakistan captain won’t get anything more than between Rs 7-10 crore at the IPL auction, if he goes under the hammer at all.
Considered one of the all-time greats, Babar has tasted great success in T20Is and has been the face of the Pakistan Super League as well. But the competition just gets tougher when it comes to the IPL and rightfully so, no franchise would want to be spending high amounts as it would turn out to be a gamble more than an investment. Talking about which team could go for Babar, he is likely more suited for a side like LSG, GT or DC.
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Next on the list is pacer Shaheen Afridi, who could fetch a higher price in comparision to Babar Azam. Afridi’s skills and experience would easily allow IPL teams to splurge at least Rs 12 crore on the fast bowler to accquire his services, should he go under the hammer. With 96 wickets from 70 T20Is and 281 scalps from 195 T20s, he is arguably one of the best bowlers that Pakistan has produced recently. His services would be of great use for teams like the Gujarat Titans, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings who lack overseas pace power.
Joining Shaheen in the list of pacers would be Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf. Both the bowlers have been breakout stars for Pakistan over the last three years and have displayed their prowess not only at the international stage but also at various leagues across the world. While Rauf has a reputation for being a destructive bowler in the Big Bash League (BBL), Naseem Shah’s ability to let the ball talking has worked wonders for the teams that he has been a part of before. But like Babar, inconsistency means both the pacers would olny be offered anywhere between Rs 5-7 crore by IPL teams, should they participate.
| Player | Salary in PSL |
| Babar Azam | Rs 1.23 cr |
| Shaheen Afridi | Rs 1.41 cr |
| Naseem Shah | Rs 1.41 cr |
No luck for Rizwan, others
Other Pakistan stars, including keeper-batter Mohammed Rizwan, Ifthikar Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim would find themselves going unsold at the IPL auction, should they be allowed to participate in the future. These players have not been at their best in the shortest format of the game and certainly do not have the experience of playing against better teams, given that the PSL and other leagues across the globe are aerguably less competitive as compared to the IPL. Pakistan, to date, remains one of the only major cricketing nations whose players aren’t allowed to participate in the IPL.
