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Strikers to help Rashid feast on IPL windfall

Spin star Rashid Khan isn't letting his IPL auction success cloud his short-term ambitions with the Adelaide Strikers, says Peter Siddle

Rashid Khan’s hefty pay day at last weekend’s Indian Premier League auction could be partially offset by a large restaurant tab if his Adelaide Strikers teammates get their way.

Rashid, who has become a favourite among fans and fellow players during his inaugural KFC Big Bash League campaign, was retained by his IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad for a price of $1.7m in Saturday’s bidding.

It puts the 19-year-old Afghanistan leg-spinner on similarly star terms with Australia internationals Chris Lynn ($1.86 million), Mitchell Starc ($1.8 million) and Glenn Maxwell ($1.75 million) who were also the subjects of intense interest at the annual auction.

But Rashid’s Strikers teammate Peter Siddle, who is staying at the same Adelaide accommodation as BBL|07’s equal-leading wicket-taker, claimed today the seemingly unflappable spin bowler was highly anxious about his IPL fate leading into the weekend.

And that his success in drawing an even higher price than India’s number one spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin ($1.48 million to Kings XI Punjab) was likely to be cause for a celebratory feast that is eagerly awaited by the Strikers’ playing roster.

Ahead of their BBL|07 semi-final against the Melbourne Renegades at the Adelaide Oval on Friday night.

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"He’s taking everyone out for dinner this week," Siddle said on Monday.

"We’re looking forward to that – I think the boys aren’t going to eat for a couple of days, then load up on Rash.

"But it was amazing for him, from his background and how hard he works to perfect his game and to make cricket a living, not just for him but looking after his family back home (in Afghanistan).

"I spoke to him this morning, he was very nervous over the weekend with the wait but he’s very excited now that it’s over and done with."

It crowns a remarkable 12 months for the teenager who learned his craft playing cricket with a tennis ball on the streets of his home province, Nangrahar, in war-ravaged Afghanistan and came to prominence as the second-highest wicket-taker at the ICC World T20 event in India during 2016.

Rashid was subsequently purchased by Sunrisers Hyderabad at last year’s IPL auction for around $780,000 and found himself playing alongside international stars the likes of Australia’s David Warner and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson as well as India pair Yuvraj Singh and Shikhar Dhawan.

He was also named the ICC Associate Player of the Year in awards announced by the game’s international governing body earlier this month, as Afghanistan prepare for their inaugural Test appearance having earned promotion to that exclusive club during 2016.

But going back into the auction this year, Rashid was unsure of his fate despite finishing the 2017 iteration of the IPL with 17 wickets from his 14 matches at an average of 21.05 and an economy rate of barely one run conceded per delivery.

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And being ranked the number one T20 bowler in the world.

Those performances, coupled with his efforts in BBL|07 that have helped lift the Strikers to second place on the table at the end of the regular season saw his value at auction more than double from last year’s investment.

Siddle says that while the auction result helped quell uncertainty over his immediate cricket future, Rashid has not allowed the windfall to shift his focus from short-term ambitions in the city where he has rapidly become a celebrated figure.

“I think a lot of boys get nervous about the (IPL) auction, but it’s finally out of the way,” said Siddle, who once more threw his name on to the trading table but was again overlooked by the India franchises.

“He’s got his team, his got the bid that went very well for him so he’s a very happy man.

“But he did say he’ll be a lot happier if he gets the win on Friday night, so that’s good to see that he’s still thinking of the Adelaide boys.”

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