Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Armed with a range of variations that batsmen struggle to read, Mujeeb was playing for Afghanistan's senior side at just 16, often described as an understudy to Rashid Khan. Early on, he helped Afghanistan beat Bangladesh 3-1 on Bangladeshi soil. In youth cricket, his finest moment was a haul of 7/19 while defending only 133, a sign of his composure under pressure. An Asia Cup campaign brought him 20 wickets from 5 matches, with decisive displays in both the semi-final and the final. He then tormented Ireland in an ODI series in December 2017 and starred at the U-19 World Cup, where a four-wicket return in the quarter-final eliminated hosts New Zealand.

KXIP handed him a deal worth four crore INR at 17, at a time when Afghanistan had sent only two players to the IPL. In 2018 he broke into the starting eleven ahead of established overseas names, becoming the youngest player in IPL history. He was central to his team's wins in the first half of that season, troubling batsmen such as Virat Kohli and willingly taking on overs in the powerplay and at the death.

That same year he made history again as the first player born in the 21st century to appear in a Test, lining up against India in Afghanistan's maiden Test, a match that also served as his first-class debut. He has since become a key figure for Afghanistan in every format and a sought-after recruit in franchise cricket, with stints in the IPL, PSL, BPL, BBL, CPL, LPL and The Hundred, among others.

Mujeeb is a mystery spinner in the tradition popularised by Mendis. His biggest assets are relentless accuracy and a well-judged use of the carrom ball.