IPL NEWBIES
Follow UsMohsin Khan caught the eye of Mumbai Indians soon after the debut Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy season in 2018. The left-arm pacer picked up 13 wickets from eight matches at an average of 17.2 for Uttar Pradesh.
The tall pacer has a killer bouncer and often clocks over 140 kmph, which is backed by his ability to bowl economically. These qualities would've been ideal for any franchise, but Mumbai Indians already had Trent Boult for that role and too many other stars to fit in young Mohsin. After being bought for a base price of Rs 20 Lakhs by the five-time champions, two seasons went by and he was still on the bench.
Nevertheless, he continued to deliver for Uttar Pradesh at the domestic level. The left-armer has so far picked up 33 wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at an average of 19.33 and a superb economy of 7.1. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, since his debut in 2017-18, he has bagged 26 wickets from 17 innings at an economy of 5.1.
The 2022 mega auction allowed the pacer to be picked by Lucknow Super Giants for a base price of Rs 20 Lakh which proved to be a turning point in his young career. At LSG, Mohsin got his chance right away as he was picked in the playing XI in their debut against Gujarat Titans. It was not an ideal start to his IPL career, where he went wicketless in his two overs and gave away 18 runs .
The left-armer had to wait until Match 37 against Mumbai Indians when lead pacer Avesh Khan was rested. Against Mumbai, he shared the new ball with Dushmantha Chameera and removed dangerous Dewald Brevis early on.
The wickets kept coming in the following matches. In their next match against Punjab Kings, Mohsin proved to be crucial with the bat. After a top-order collapse which skipper KL Rahul called 'stupid cricket', Mohsin's unbeaten 13 from 7 balls played a big part.
Defending an average total of 154, he removed dangerous Liam Livingstone with an angled delivery down the legside and followed it up by sending back Kagiso Rabada and Rahul Chahar as LSG won by 20 runs.
On Sunday, the 23-year old was the pick of LSG's bowlers with 4-16 against Delhi Capitals. After bowling a first over for just one single against Prithvi Shaw and David Warner, the left-armer sent back Warner, Rishabh Pant, Rovman Powell and Shardul Thakur to break DC's momentum.
Mohsin credited his emergence to LSG's coaching staff for telling him to keep doing what he has done before. He got the best compliment from captain KL Rahul, who was super impressed with the youngster.
"He has been brilliant, played him in the nets first time a month ago. Didn't want to face him, seriously. He was sharp, he's scary at times in the nets. It's not just the pace, he has a good brain, has a bit of skill as well, has a great slower one and he knows when to use them," Rahul said after the win against DC.
