3 teams where Ibrahim Zadran would have been a good fit for IPL 2025 ft. CSK

Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran created history with his record-breaking century against England in their 2025 Champions Trophy clash on Wednesday, February 26.

The right-hander smashed 177 runs off just 146 balls, including 12 fours and six maximums at a strike-rate of 121.23 as Afghanistan posted a total of 325/7 batting first.

This is the highest individual score in the history of the Champions Trophy and also Afghanistan's first hundred in the tournament. Ibrahim Zadran took the attack to England as Afghanistan also won the game in the end.

Notably, Ibrahim Zadran was a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction at a base price of ₹75 lakh. However, he failed to garner the attention of any franchise and went unsold. He has played 44 T20Is and 105 T20s in his career so far.

After his heroics against England in the 2025 Champions Trophy, let us take a look at three IPL 2025 teams where Ibrahim Zadran would have been a great fit.

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3 teams where Ibrahim Zadran would have been a good fit for IPL 2025

#3 Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals let go of Jos Buttler and did not buy him back at the auction as well. They had a settled opening pair in Yashasvi Jaiswal and Buttler at the top. However, it will be interesting to see who opens the batting for them in IPL 2025.

While skipper Sanju Samson has been opening in T20Is for India and is expected to open for Rajasthan as well, Ibrahim Zadran as an opener would have been a solid fit. The left-right combination would have been taken care of.

Zadran has shown the ability to provide stability at the top. With the 23-year-old opening, Sanju Samson could continue batting in the middle, which would also maintain the depth in their batting and not force Samson to open.

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#2 Chennai Super Kings

Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad are expected to open the batting for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025. The duo has opened previously and has been successful as well.

However, Conway is returning from injury and his recurring injury concerns could continue to be a worrying sign for Chennai. Moreover, Conway's form in the ongoing 2025 Champions Trophy has not been great as he has only managed to score 40 runs from two matches.

Ruturaj and Ibrahim Zadran are both such players who can take the attack in the powerplay and also switch roles between playing anchor and bringing stability at the top of the order.

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#1 Lucknow Super Giants

Lukcnow Super Giants have a big headache ahead of the IPL 2025 season regarding their opening pair. The likes of Matthew Breetzke and Mitchell Marsh could open the batting for them.

However, Mitchell Marsh was ruled out of the 2025 Champions Trophy and is doubtful for the IPL 2025 season as well. Lucknow will suffer a huge blow should Marsh miss out.

In this scenario, Ibrahim Zadran would have been a perfect fit in this side as an opener. With big hitters like Rishabh Pant and Nicholas Pooran in the side, the presence of Zadran, who can play anchor and then the big shots as well, would bring the required balance to their batting line-up.