The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is around the corner and all franchises along with their players are gearing up for the cash-rich tournament.
With most of the players already in UAE, net sessions and practices are on for the event which will commence from September 19. Franchises have made sure to scout different talents from various countries, especially all-rounders like Andre Russell or Hardik Pandya who make sure to give their teams the desired victory.
However, according to former India batsman, Gautam Gambhir, he feels that there is one player who often gets neglected despite his impressive performances.
For Gambhir, Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammed Nabi is the most underrated player in T20 cricket. The cricketer recently had a successful Caribbean Premier League (CPL) campaign where he scored 156 runs and took 12 wickets for St Lucia Zouks.
“According to me, he is the most underrated player in T20 cricket. You talk about Kieron Pollard, AB de Villiers, Rashid Khan, or David Warner but if you see his contribution, he is a brilliant fielder, gives you four overs with the ball, bowls in the first 6 overs, bats at No.5 or No.6, and can play the big shots,” Gambhir said on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.
“We talk about Andre Russell as a quality all-rounder but Mohammad Nabi probably may not be in that category but he is not that far behind. Because he comes from Afghanistan, who do not play that much cricket, so people do not rate him that much,” he added
Gambhir also spoke about how the cricketer does not get many opportunities due to the presence of Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Rashid Khan, and Kane Williamson in the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) squad, but feels if Nabi played for 14 matches, everyone will know his impact on the game.
“He is also in a franchise where you play David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Rashid Khan, and Kane Williamson, so he does not get that many opportunities. If Mohammad Nabi was in some other franchise, he would have played all the 14 matches in the IPL. And if you play him in all the 14 matches of the IPL, you will come to know his impact,” said Gambhir.
