3 franchises that might sign Afghan big-hitter Najibullah Zadran for IPL 2023

Afghanistan's Najibullah Zadran scored 43 runs in 17 balls to help his team win the game against Bangladesh in Asia Cup 2022. The left-hander is one of the cleanest strikers of the ball in the death overs. He has a lot of experience in T20 cricket and hence, a few IPL teams might be interested in his services. On that note, in this article, we take a look at 3 franchises that might sign Afghan big-hitter Najibullah Zadran for IPL 2023.

1) Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR struggled to put up a consistent batting line-up in IPL 2022. However, they would want to correct that from the next auctions. Sam Billings was used in the middle-order but he was not able to support Andre Russell well. Hence, Chandrakant Pandit can target Zadran, who will offer better stability in the middle order. To make this signing work, the team has to invest in a solid Indian wicketkeeper who can open the batting.

2) Royal Challengers Bangalore

RCB is one of the franchises that might sign Afghan big-hitter Najibullah Zadran for IPL 2023. The franchise lacks a left-hander in the middle order. This might haunt them in the future seasons. Sherfane Rutherford did not get many chances in IPL 2022. He has anyways not been doing that well domestically. Hence, RCB can plan to replace the West Indian with the Afghan cricketer. 

3) Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals often played with just three overseas cricketers in IPL 2022. It is one aspect that they would want to correct. One option would be to release Devdutt Padikkal and have Shimron Hetmyer play in that role. In DDP's place, they can hire Zadran and include him in the middle order. This would improve the batting attack, especially at the death, leaving the likes of Buttler and Samson to operate at the start with more freedom.