The 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League begins on March 26 with Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings taking on the Kolkata Knight Riders at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The 2022 edition will see a host of Indian youngsters making their maiden appearances, while a number of domestic stars will also be eyeing a consistent run in the tournament to open the doors for an international call-up.
One of those cricketers is Sarfaraz Khan, who had been among the top run-getters in the Ranji Trophy season this year. Sarfaraz is currently the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 551 runs to his name in merely three matches, with a brilliant average of 137.75.
In the Indian Premier League, however, Sarfaraz is yet to make his mark. The 24-year-old began his IPL career in 2015 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore but struggled with regular game time. Despite being retained by the side ahead of the 2018 season, Sarfaraz played only six games, scoring 51 runs.
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The youngster was then picked by the Punjab Kings in 2019 but struggled with consistency again. Ahead of the 2022 edition, Sarfaraz was bought by the Delhi Capitals in the IPL mega auction and the youngster is hoping for the team to put confidence in him.
{{/usCountry}}The youngster was then picked by the Punjab Kings in 2019 but struggled with consistency again. Ahead of the 2022 edition, Sarfaraz was bought by the Delhi Capitals in the IPL mega auction and the youngster is hoping for the team to put confidence in him.
{{/usCountry}}“I can do better if someone gives me that confidence and has faith in me. It is the same when no one thought I could play red ball, but I knew I could if I got the opportunity, because I had been working for four-five years on my red-ball game. Similarly, the day will come when I will score in the IPL too," Sarfaraz told The Indian Express.
Sarfaraz also said that he gets all kinds of opinions on his cricket but his father told him once that he should only listen to him.
“What do I ask? Should I ask someone who has known me since I was a kid or someone who has seen me for two days? I don’t ask much because I don’t want it to play on my mind if someone tells me to do this or that. Someone who brought me into this world… Only a family doctor can tell you what the problem is. When I was 10 or 12, Dad would tell me: ‘listen to everyone but do as I say.’ I listen only to him," said Sarfaraz.