KM Asif

KM Asif, popularly known as Mohammed Asif, is an Indian cricketer born on July 24, 1993, in Edavanna, in the Malappuram district of Kerala. He is primarily a right-arm medium-pace bowler for the Kerala state side. Asif bats right-handed lower down the order as a tail-ender.

The 31-year-old pacer has played a handful of domestic matches and has a decent experience in T20s. He has represented the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

KM Asif: Along the Years

KM Asif Career

KM Asif has played a limited number of first-class (FC) and List-A matches but has got a decent amount of experience in the shortest format of the game with his genuine pace. He has represented Kerala in the domestic circuit but has not clicked yet in the IPL.

KM Asif Domestic career

KM Asif made his first appearance for Kerala during the 2018 Syed Mushtaq Ali South Zone group stages. He made his debut against Goa at Visakhapatnam and impressed everyone with his pace. One of the deliveries he bowled against Goa clocked 144 kmph on the speed gun which brought him to the notice of everyone. He ended up picking three wickets from 25 runs.

He took 2/34 in the next game against Karnataka which included the wickets of top-scorer, Mayank Agarwal and Ravikumar Samarth. His impressive performance in the shorter format of the game meant Asif was handed his debut in List A cricket as well against Himachal Pradesh at Nadaun. He celebrated the occasion by picking 3/65. Following his first IPL stint, he made his first-class debut in December 2019, for his state team in the 2019-20 season of Ranji Trophy.

In the newly launched Kerala Cricket League 2024, Asif represents the Aries Kollam Sailors.

KM Asif IPL career

KM Asif was one of the last players to get himself listed for the 2018 Indian Premier League auctions and was kept at a base price of INR 20 lakhs. He was eventually bought for INR 40 lakhs by Chennai Super Kings after a slight bidding war with Mumbai Indians. He made his IPL debut that season, in Pune, against the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), thanks to an injury to Deepak Chahar.

Asif only played two matches for the franchise in CSK’s victorious campaign in 2018, but he continued to remain in the team as a backup pacer. After not playing for three seasons nearly, he played a solitary game against Rajasthan Royals and picked up the crucial wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal. After being released ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction, the right-arm medium pacer was again bought by the Chennai-based franchise for his base price of INR 20 lakhs. Asif did not get to feature in a rare dismal campaign for the then-defending champions.

The Super Kings released him and the Kerala pacer was acquired by the Royals in the IPL 2023 auction for INR 30 lakhs. Under the leadership of his Kerala teammate Sanju Samson, he played four matches for the franchise but only managed to pick up three wickets. Owing to poor returns, Asif was released ahead of the IPL 2024 auction and remained unsold.

KM Asif Family

Cricket was KM Asif's first love, but financial constraints had forced him to shelve his dreams of playing cricket as a career to take up work as a storekeeper at a beverage bottling plant. Asif's father is a daily wager who does odd jobs. His mother has been a homemaker. His younger brother is intellectually disabled; his younger sister has had challenges after suffering a brain injury during her formative years. Asif has been the only real breadwinner.