Former Pakistani speedster, Shoaib Akhtar, will probably never forget the first time he put on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) jersey against Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) and took 4 wickets in a blistering new ball spell and helped his team pull off a 23 run victory while defending 134.

His showing in the inaugural edition of the IPL was one of the solitary performances from any Pakistan player that season. The 26/11 terror attacks strained Indo-Pak relations, and Pakistanis have been barred from participating in the IPL since then.

He said if players from his nation were allowed to play in the league, skipper, Babar Azam could be among the highest paid in the auction.

“It would be great to see Babar Azam and Virat Kohli opening the innings together in the IPL one day. What an exciting moment that would be. In the auction, Babar would go for 15-20 crore INR and could be the most expensive Pakistan player,” Akhtar was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.

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In 73 T20 internationals, Babar has 2620 runs at an excellent average of 45.17. The right-hander has a nearly 130 strike rate and has hit 25 fifties and one century. He is currently the world's top-ranked batsman in ODIs and T20Is.

When asked during a pre-match show on Sportskeeda which Men in Green he thought would have the highest price tag, he joked, "I think me even if I am on wheelchairs."