Follow Us39 runs in five T20s at an average of 9.75 and a strike rate of 139.28 - now, these are not numbers that would get you an Indian Premier League contract, let alone feature in the XI.
But Mumbai Indians must have seen something in Naman Dhir to shell INR 20 lakh on him in the 2024 auction. That’s not it, but the five-time IPL winners went ahead and handed him a debut in their opening game of the season against Gujarat Titans on March 24 (Sunday).
The hard-hitting batter was part of the Punjab squad that won the last Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy but didn’t contribute much. The 24-year-old is also a decent offspinner but didn’t bowl a single delivery in the competition.
So, what did Mumbai actually see in him? Dhir might not have had a good SMAT but the right-handed batter has an impressive record in the first-class format. Dhir has an average of 30.21 after 14 games, including two centuries (against Saurashtra and Gujarat) and as many fifties. He also has eight wickets at an average of 27.25.
However, it was his performance in the 2023 Sher-E-Punjab T20 Cup that brought him to everyone’s attention. Dhir emerged as the second-highest run-getter in the competition, slamming 466 runs across 12 innings at an average of 42.36 and a strike rate of 192.56.
He smoked two centuries and a fifty and also hit the most number of maximums in the tournament. Apart from slamming 30 sixes, six more than the second-best, Dhir also hit 40 fours. The offie also scalped eight wickets @ 24.13 and an economy rate of 8.15.
Dhir also featured in the DY Patil T20 Cup, scoring 109 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 149.32. Playing for Reliance 1, the youngster slammed 55 off 33 against Jain Irrigation who had relatively known bowlers like Arshad Khan, Mayank Yadav, Azim Kazi, and Arshin Kulkarni.
In tonight's match against Gujarat, Dhir bowled only one over and leaked 13 runs. He did make some impression with the bat though, hitting three fours and a six in his 10-ball 20. He came out to bat at No.3 and slammed Azmatullah Omarzai for 4, 4, 4, 0 and 6 before getting pinned in front of the stumps in the same over.