Sourav Ganguly shed light on the rationale behind Delhi Capitals’ choice to release Sarfaraz Khan ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. Despite a stellar debut for India against England in Rajkot, the batsman found himself among the 11 players released by the Capitals.
Having moved through Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings, Sarfaraz joined Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022 but struggled to replicate his domestic cricket success in the T20 format.
Ganguly, the director of cricket for DC, pointed out that Sarfaraz excels as a traditional red-ball player, a trait less conducive to T20 cricket. Despite impressive performances in domestic competitions, he faced challenges in adapting to the shorter format. Ganguly emphasised Sarfaraz’s proficiency in longer formats and the importance of his prolific runs in First-class games.
The IPL 2024 auction in December saw Sarfaraz surprisingly going unsold with a base price of ₹20 lakh. However, recent exceptional performances, including twin fifties against England, have reportedly sparked interest from teams like CSK and KKR. Sarfaraz’s explosive innings, including a 48-ball half-century and a quickfire fifty in the second innings, have potentially revived his IPL prospects after a period of uncertainty.