Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has made a big claim about Zimbabwe’s emerging fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani. Kaif believes that if the IPL 2026 auction were to take place after the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, Blessing Muzarabani could have easily crossed the ₹20 crore mark.
Blessings to Muzarabani’s excellent T20 World Cup 2026 form
Muzarabani is making waves in the tournament. He took nine wickets at an average of 7.88 and an economy rate of 5.91 in only three group matches. He destroyed Australia with figures of 4/17 and also troubled Sri Lanka in front of their home crowd.
The Zimbabwean fast bowler’s pace, bounce and control make him a nightmare for batsmen in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. Praising his stellar performance in the mega event, Kaif called Muzarabani “an extraordinary bowler” and predicted that he will be a hot property in the next IPL auction.
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Mohammad Kaif predicts bright IPL future for Muzarabani
Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube channel, “It is not an easy thing to beat Australia and then Sri Lanka at home. The match against Sri Lanka was also a sell-out. So, playing in front of that home ground and on a slow pitch, where Pakistan was struggling to chase 176 runs, Zimbabwe chased 179 runs.”
Zimbabwe showed how to play on that pitch. Blessing Muzarabani is an extraordinary bowler. He will be targeted by IPL franchises in future.
Auction timing hurts Zimbabwe star
The former Indian batsman also praised the Zimbabwean bowler’s ability to bowl at any stage of the T20 match. Furthermore, Kaif feels that the timing of the IPL 2026 auction will hurt Blessing Muzarabani. The bid was made in December, ahead of their stellar performances at the World Cup.
Kaif said, “He bowls in every phase of the game, with the new and the old ball. He is six feet eight inches tall; he has good height too. If the IPL auction had happened after the World Cup and the way Muzarabani is bowling now, I can tell you with a guarantee that he would have got at least Rs 20 crore in the IPL auction. He is unlucky that the IPL auction has already happened.”
The tall Zimbabwean fast bowler has already served as a net bowler for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and later joined Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as a replacement player.
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Is Muzarabani better than Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc?
Kaif boldly suggested that Blessing Muzarabani is a more complete bowler at the moment than Australian stars Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, who were bought for huge sums of ₹24.75 crore and ₹20.50 crore respectively in the last IPL auction.
The former Delhi Capitals coach questioned Starc’s impact in the IPL, saying that despite earning a lot, he only won a few important matches. He believes that Muzarabani has the skills to bowl at every stage and can trouble any batting order in Indian conditions.
Kaif said, “We have seen these Australian and New Zealand bowlers earning a lot of money for a long time. What has Starc done? Muzarabani can do a better job than Starc.”
Notably, Starc had a below-average IPL 2025 season with Delhi Capitals, taking 14 wickets in 11 matches at an expensive economy rate of 10.17. He later retired from T20Is, but the franchise retained him ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, favoring his experience and ability.
