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IPL Auctions 2024 | Azmatullah Omarzai Lands In Gujarat Titans, Likely Replacement For Hardik

image-lqc4dmo1Azmatullah Omarzai at the 2023 World Cup (AP)

Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai earned his maiden IPL pay cheque at the 2024 auction as he was roped in by the Gujarat Titans franchise. The 23-year-old was rewarded for his stellar all-round show for Afghanistan at the 2023 World Cup in India, as well as for his experience with T20 franchise level cricket considering he has made appearances in prominent leagues like BPL and PSL.

At the bidding event in UAE on December 19, Azmatullah was sold to the Gujarat Titans for a staggering sum of Rs. 50 lakhs, thus becoming the latest Afghan entry to join the bigwigs of IPL.

Azmatullah tipped as possible replacement of Pandya

Back in November, Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya opted himself out of the franchise to join his former team Mumbai Indians. The star all-rounder captained the Titans camp for two successive seasons, and even led them to title glory in his maiden stint as leader in 2022.

After Azmatullah Omarzai landed a deal at Gujarat Titans, mere weeks after Pandya’s exit, the Afghanistan all-rounder has been considered by many as a possible replacement option for the Indian cricketer.

Azmatullah has so far played 62 T20 matches, including 24 of them for Afghanistan at the international level.

The 23-year-old recently impressed one-and-all with his splendid all-round run at the 2023 World Cup in India. The right-handed batsman bludgeoned 353 runs across eight innings all while maintaining an alluring average of over 70. He scored a fighting 97* in Afghanistan’s crunch game against South Africa, and harvest seven wickets with his medium pace throughout the tournament.