3 IPL 2024 teams where Gulbadin Naib would have fit in well ft. RCB

In the third and final T20I against India, when it looked like Afghanistan were down and out, Gulbadin Naib, with his pyrotechnics, ensured that they didn't go down without a fight.

At 167/5, still 46 needed off 17 balls, Naib single-handedly took the game into the Super Over at Chinnaswamy Stadium on January 17. The 32-year-old Afghanistan all-rounder smoked an unbeaten 55 runs off just 23 balls, displaying astute finishing skills.

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also seemed to be impressed with Gulbadin's death overs batting. He tweeted about the Afghan all-rounder not getting any bids at the IPL 2024 auction despite his base price being only ₹50 lakh.

"Gulbadin Naib says “notice me please, will you”?? I am a finisher from Asia with a base price of 50 L . #INDvAFG. Fantastic batting to get this game to a super over," Ashwin tweeted.

If you look at Naib's overall SR of 126.73, it doesn't reflect his true potential with the bat, but in the last two years, he has worked on his hitting abilities, which have grown leaps and bounds, with SR touching a staggering 180.85 mark.

Although his pace has dipped a little bit, his variations like leg cutters, off cutters, and knuckle balls make him a complete T20 package for any side. He has 26 T20I wickets to his credit, with an economy of 8.12.

Resonating the same, let's look at some of the IPL 2024 teams where Gulbadin Naib would have been a perfect fit.

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3 IPL 2024 teams where Gulbadin Naib would have fit in well

#3. Punjab Kings

If any team should have looked for Naib on their roster, it is the Punjab Kings. Not only would Gulbadin Naib have served them in the finishing department along with Jitesh Sharma, but he would also be the back-up for Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran in the squad.

Naib could have been the floater in the side, with him chipping in with handy overs on slow pitches.

#2. Chennai Super Kings

With CSK assembling almost a perfect squad to fill the gaps in the IPL 2024 auction, one would wonder why they would need Gulbadin Naib in their squad.

Rachin Ravindra, whose T20 returns in New Zealand domestic T20 tournaments have been below par with a 43.3% dot-ball percentage and SR of 121.23, doesn't seem to be the perfect choice for the batting prowess of CSK, especially as an overseas player.

Ravindra's last two years' SR read 98.3 and 75.0, respectively, which also resonates the same.

Not only would Naib have served as the perfect back-up for hard-hitting all-rounder Daryl Mitchell, but he also added depth to the already dangerous batting line-up of the Yellow Army.

#1. Royal Challengers Bangalore

It was a golden opportunity for RCB's newly appointed coaching staff to assemble a strong bowling attack for Chinnaswamy when they had almost ₹40 crore after releasing the entire attack going into the auction.

However, with Cameron Green's trade, they cleared one thing: they are looking to go for batting prowess more than bowling, considering the lack of quality in the mini-auction.

And it was obvious that they would also look for Green's backup, and Naib would have easily fitted the bill with him giving one or two overs, providing batting depth at almost all batting positions to the side.

RCB struggled big time in scoring in the death overs with a run rate of 10.07, the third lowest of all teams in IPL 2023. It would have been a wise decision to add another finisher in the form of Gulbadin Naib for them.