Meet 15-Year-Old Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Youngest Player In IPL 2023 Auction

Arguably the biggest platform for emerging talent to show its cricketing skills, the Indian Premier League is only a few days away from unearthing some future stars. Every year, the Indian Premier League auction sees franchises betting on raw talents. While some gambles pay-off, a few bets don't. Ahead of the IPL 2023 auction, one name that is buzzing among fans is that of a 15-year-old Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar who is the youngest player to have registered for this edition of the IPL auction.

Ghazanfar hails from Afghanistan, the country that has already given the world of cricket players like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rahman, etc. As the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the player list for the upcoming auction, Ghazanfar's name was among the 405 players who were shortlisted.

The Afghan teenager has registered himself in the INR 20 lakh price bracket. Although he is an off-spinner, his style of bowling is pretty similar to that of India's Ravichandran Ashwin, who has reinvented the art of off-spin in the shortest format with his variations.

"Ashwin has been a champion spinner for India, and I like his variations. I have always considered him my inspiration," Ghazanfar told Sportstar from Kabul on Tuesday.

Ghazanfar stands tall at 6ft 2in. and had initially started off as a fast bowler former Afghanistan captain Dawlat Ahmadzai, transformed him into a spinner.

"I started with tennis ball cricket and would play in my neighbourhood, but under the guidance of my coach, I started bowling spin, and soon, I developed an action, and there hasn't been any looking back since," the youngster added.

With age on his side and a towering structure, Ghazanfar could see multiple franchise bid for him in the auction, especially for the long-term vision.