Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has made a big claim about Zimbabwe’s rising fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani. Kaif believes that if the IPL 2026 auction had happened after the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, Blessing Muzarabani could have easily crossed the ₹20 crore mark.
Blessing Muzarabani’s stunning T20 World Cup 2026 form
Muzarabani has been on fire in the tournament. He picked up nine wickets in just three group matches at an average of 7.88 and a tight economy rate of 5.91. He destroyed Australia with figures of 4/17 and also troubled Sri Lanka in front of their home crowd.
The Zimbabwe fast bowler’s pace, bounce, and control made him a nightmare for batters in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. Hailing his stunning performances at the mega event, Kaif called Muzarabani “an exceptional bowler” and predicted he would be a hot property in the next IPL auction.
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Mohammad Kaif predicts a bright IPL future for Muzarabani
Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube channel, “It is not an easy thing to defeat Australia and then Sri Lanka in their home. The match against Sri Lanka was a sellout one as well. So, to play in front of that home ground, and on a slow pitch, where Pakistan struggled to chase 176, Zimbabwe chased down 179.
Zimbabwe showed how to play on that pitch. Blessing Muzarabani is an exceptional bowler. He will be targeted by IPL franchises in the future.”
Auction timing hurt the Zimbabwe star
The former Indian batter also lauded the Zimbabwe bowler’s ability to bowl in any phase of the T20 match. Furthermore, Kaif feels the timing of the IPL 2026 auction hurt Blessing Muzarabani. The bidding took place in December, before his stunning World Cup performance.
Kaif added, “He bowls in every phase of the game, with the new ball and the old. He is six feet eight inches; he also has height. If the IPL Auction was held after the World Cup, and with the way Muzarabani is bowling now, I can tell you with a guarantee that he would have fetched at least 20 crores in the IPL Auction. He is unlucky that the IPL Auction is already done.”
The tall Zimbabwe pacer has already worked as a net bowler for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and later joined Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as a replacement player.
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Is Muzarabani better than Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc?
Kaif boldly suggested that Blessing Muzarabani is a more complete bowler right now than Australian stars Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, who were bought for massive amounts of ₹24.75 crore and ₹20.50 crore, respectively, in the past IPL auctions.
The former Delhi Capitals coach questioned Starc’s impact in the IPL, saying he won only a couple of crunch games despite earning too much. He believes that Muzarabani has the skills to bowl in every phase and can trouble any batting line-up in Indian conditions.
Kaif signed off by saying, “We have seen these Australian and New Zealand bowlers for a long time now, earning a lot of money. What has Starc done? Muzarabani could do a better job than Starc.”
Notably, Starc had a below-average IPL 2025 season with Delhi Capitals, taking 14 wickets in 11 matches at an expensive economy rate of 10.17. He later retired from T20Is, but the franchise still retained him ahead of the IPL 2026 Auction, backing his experience and ability.
