Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza revealed his emotions after being picked up by the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL 2023 auction on Friday (December 23) in Kochi.
Raza became the fourth Zimbabwe player after Ray Price, Tatenda Taibu, and Brendan Taylor to be signed up by an IPL team after the all-rounder locked up the deal with PBKS for INR 50 lakhs for the upcoming IPL 2023.
Raza said that he always wanted to be part of the IPL before retiring from the game, and now his ultimate dream has come true. The all-rounder revealed that he has ancestral roots in Punjab, so it would be really nice to be able to represent the PBKS in the IPL.
Sikandar Raza was quoted as saying to ESPNCricinfo: “It was part of my thinking that before I hang my boots up, it would be nice to have the IPL on my CV. Alhamdulillah (thank God) it has happened. I am really happy, humble and excited at the same time. I would have been fine with any franchise but to have a Punjabi munda in Punjab, it is a great match.”
Revealing the moment when he got to know he was picked up by the PBKS, Raza noted: “I was in training today. I was calm. Sometimes I was nervous. I went through all the emotions before the auction. We went back to the hotel. Then there was an anti-corruption meeting [while the auction was on].”
He continued, “When it was my turn at the IPL auction, I was moving from one room to another, and the internet got disconnected. While it was connecting back again, I started getting a lot of messages from my friends, congratulating me. I said, 'what, I cannot see it. Are you guys playing a prank?'”
Raza concluded, “They said check the auction. I said I am checking but I haven't even been up there. What happened was, by the time I reconnected, I had gone already. So basically, I did not see the bid. Maybe that was a good thing actually. I reckon it is a good thing. If I was watching, I would have shouted in the meeting.”
(With ANI Inputs)
