The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
TWO Zimbabwean cricketers, Brendan Taylor as well as Sikandar Raza are part of the 346 players for the 2019 Indian Premier League 2019 auction to be held in Jaipur on Tuesday.
Wicket/ batsman Taylor and batting all rounder Raza are the only two Zimbabweans to go under the hammer for next year’s IPL. Of the 346, 226 are Indians while others are from Afghanistan, Australia, England, New Zealand, Netherlands, South Africa, West Indies, United States of America and Ireland.
The two Zimbabweans will be hoping to be signed by one of the eight teams in the IPL at Tuesday’s auction.
Since the biggest Twenty20 league started in 2008, only three Zimbabweans have been signed while only two have actually played a match in the IPL. Former Zimbabwean captain Tatenda Taibu was the first local to appear in the IPL when he turned out for the Kolkata Knight Rider in the inaugural season. Taibu started for KKR in just three IPL games. In those three matches, Taibu scored only 31 runs. As a result, KKR released him ahead of the 2009 IPL auction.
Left arm spinner, Raymond Price was the second Zimbabwean to get an IPL deal when Mumbai Indians signed him as a replacement for the injured Australian all-rounder Moises Henriques. Price made his IPL debut against Kolkata Knight Riders in the last league match of the 2011 season. He conceded 33 runs in his three overs without picking a single wicket and that was to be his only IPL appearance.
Taylor was the third and last Zimbabwean to get an IPL deal when the Sunrisers Hyderabad bought him at the 2014 IPL auction. However, Taylor did not even travel to India. He delayed his trip to India because of his wedding which took place during the early stages of the IPL and Sunrisers Hyderabad put him on standby just in case someone got injured or lost form, which never happened.
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