Pakistan’s 20-year-old T20I opener Saim Ayub has expressed his desire to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Indian Premier League (IPL). Ayub who made his T20I debut against Afghanistan on the back of impressive performances for Peshawar Zalmi in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 is inspired by former RCB skipper Virat Kohli’s journey as a cricketer.
"I wish to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore, I follow IPL too. I love their kit and Virat Kohli plays for them too. I really admire Virat bhai's journey from a youngster to a legend and he's one of the best athletes in the world," Ayub said on YouTuber Nadir Ali’s podcast.
Pakistan players are not allowed to play in IPL due to the political tensions between the two countries. They were a part of the first season of IPL but after Mumbai terror attacks, they were barred from the tournament.
Ayub made his T20I debut under Shadab Khan. He is excited to play alongside Babar Azam and reveals the reason behind not celebrating one of his half-centuries during PSL 2023.
"I wished to bat with Babar bhai. When I scored a fifty against Lahore Qalandars in PSL, Babar bhai was appreciating me on the other hand. We opened and I scored fifty in front of him. I celebrated that. I didn't celebrate my first fifty because it was a losing cause. In the next fifty, I was standing with Babar bhai and felt so proud so I celebrated it," he said.
On his T20I debut, he failed to make a mark and scored 17 runs. In the next T20I, he got out dismissed for a two-ball duck. In the third T20I he showed glimpses of what he can do. The opener scored 49 runs from 40 deliveries. He became one of the few new players who got retained in the T20I squad despite a series loss to Afghanistan in UAE.
Earlier, Ayub scored 341 runs from 12 games at an average of 28.41 including five half-centuries. His strike rate was an impressive 165.53. He finished as Peshawar Zalmi's third-highest run scorer of the season.
Ayub will be seen in action when Pakistan take on New Zealand at home in the five-T20I series which will be played from April 14 to April 24. The first three matches are at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore whereas the other two will be played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The five-T20I series will be followed by five-ODI series which will commence on April 27.
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