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Cricket Players‘Selectors should be keenly watching Mohsin Khan’: Left-armer impresses former India think-tank member
For Lucknow Super Giants, Mohsin Khan has been a revelation this season. On Sunday night, he picked up a five-for against KKR, a first in IPL 2026.
Former India all-rounder Sanjay Bangar thinks Lucknow Super Giants fast bowler Mohsin Khan stands a good chance of getting selected in the Indian team, sooner rather than later. After missing the entire IPL season in 2025 due to an ACL tear, the left-armer has bowled real quick this Indian Premier League (IPL) and has not been wayward either, which can’t be said about all tearaway quicks.
In four matches, he has taken 9 wickets, including a five-for, all at a stupendous economy rate of 6.38. Against KKR on Sunday, he picked up IPL 2026's first five-for (5/23).
Bangar, who was also the batting coach of the Indian team from 2014-19, says the fact that the 27-year-old bowls left-arm makes him all the more special. There are not many good quick left-armers in Indian cricket, maybe with the exception of Arshdeep Singh — but then he isn’t that quick.
"It's been a long time, and it’s just a matter of regaining that prime fitness because he is one player with that particular skillset that we do not really have that much in quantity in terms of Indian talent. We have plenty of batters, but one thing that we lack is a left-arm variety," he said on an ESPNcricinfo show.
"I believe if you look at the pack that we have, in terms of the left-arm seamers, he impresses the most because the extra bounce that he gets, the ability to hit that length, and he's got a heavy ball, that's what they always say. So he's got all the makings of a wonderful left-arm seamer, and that is something the selectors should be keenly watching," he added.
‘Mohsin really hammered the pitch’
Bangar dissected Mohsin’s approach on Sunday night against KKR. "We talked about enjoying fast bowlers being metronomic in length, being disciplined, being boring. He got a little bit of assistance, and when he went short, he really hammered the pitch. Sometimes we can get bowlers just resting the ball on a good length, trying to get a little bit of help, but nah, he bashed away at the length.
"I liked it when he came back for that 11th over. Pant gave him the over, and he came in knowing it was an attacking over. I need to get wickets and go all out. I think it was a double-wicket over and essentially ensured that there wouldn't be any consolidation through that phase.
“I think he assessed the pitch well, and he realised his role, his role is to come back and get wickets, he attacked, and he attacked well. But he set it up by being really disciplined in the beginning," Bangar concluded.
India travel to Ireland for two T20Is in June before they go to England for a full white-ball tour. If Mohsin continues performing like this, his chances of getting selected are very high, make no mistake.
