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- ‘Don’t Fall In Same Bracket As Bravo, Russell, Pollard’: Sikandar Raza Happy To See Uncapped Players Fetch Big IPL Deals, Sheds Light On Zimbabwe’s T20 WC Chances
1 day agoAuthor: Souryaprokas Bhaduri
Star Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza insists that his name should not be mentioned in the same bracket as that of Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell when it comes to having an impact on T20 cricket. Over the years, T20 cricket has seen several mercurial all-rounders and Bravo, Pollard and Russell, alongside others, have been some of the biggest flag-bearers of the shortest format.
Raza is one of the most experienced T20 cricketers. At the time of writing, he has played 328 T20 matches so far. In that, the Zimbabwe all-rounder has amassed 6715 runs at a strike rate of 136.06. He had memorably scored 133 off just 43 balls against Gambia to help Zimbabwe set the highest score in T20Is so far (344/4). With the ball, he has picked up 210 wickets in the format, with his best figures being 5/18.
Sikandar Raza posing with Dwayne Bravo and others in 2020
‘Don’t think my name should be mentioned in the same bracket as them’
Speaking to Bhaskar English, the 39-year-old lauded the contributions of the likes of Pollard, Bravo and Russell in T20 cricket and added that they changed the way the game is played in the format.
“I don’t think my name should be mentioned in the same bracket as Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell and DJ Bravo. These guys are the reason T20 cricket has changed, along with some of the other boys before them,” Raza humbly stated.
Nice to see uncapped Indians get good money
Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma among top buys at IPL 2026 auction
The IPL auction, which took place in Abu Dhabi on 16 December, was set on fire by the young Indian uncapped stars, with five of them jointly bagging ₹45 crore. Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma scripted history, becoming the most expensive uncapped Indians in the IPL when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) splashed a whopping sum of ₹14.20 crore for each of them.
Raza was quite pleased to see the young uncapped Indian stars fetch huge sums of money at the IPL auction. He said, “I think it’s rightly so that in a local league, your local player fetches the most amount of money. The league is about a particular country and for its own players. And rightly so, if they are fetching more money, then it’s good for them and it’s good for the country.”
“So it was quite nice to see the uncapped players going for big money and rightly so because IPL, the experience, the finances that are attached to IPL are life-changing. And once you have that, then your game tends to grow and you improve as well. So that was good,” added Raza.
‘Don’t think so that the torch is passed on’: Sikandar Raza
Pollard, Bravo and Russell, have all retired from the IPL. The recent IPL auction showed that the uncapped players are the ones to attract a good part of the interest. So has the time come for the torch to be passed from the previous generation to the new? Raza disagrees.
“It’s nice to at least have them (Pollard, Bravo and Russell) because you need guys like DJ, you need guys like KP and Dre to sort of help the other generation. These guys change the whole look of T20 cricket and for T20 cricket to remain more exciting and get better, you need these guys around. So I wouldn’t say that the torch should be passed on just yet because if you look at Kieron Pollard at ILT20, if’ you look at Pollard at CPL, he was still doing the damage,” he said.
Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo and Sunil Narine celebrate Trinbago Knight Riders’ CPL 2025 title win
“Dre is still doing the damage. I know DJ has made that transition. But even as a coach, he’s doing a great job with every single league he’s part of. So if the torch is passed on, I hope these guys remain close to this game so that when the torch is due passed on, there is right leadership and mentorship behind the scenes going on for the guys who are going to carry the torch forward,” the 39-year-old added.
‘Hope Punjab Kings win IPL this time’
Raza has had a brief stint in the IPL, playing for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) for two years (2023 and 2024). The Shreyas Iyer-led PBKS had made it to the final of the last edition but failed to cross the finish line, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru winning the title.
Sikandar Raza celebrates a win for Punjab Kings in IPL 2023
When asked if he has been following Punjab Kings and their work at the auction, Raza said, “No, I follow them because some of my friends are still there. So I do follow them and I do speak to them as well. Wishing them luck and all that as well.
But I think this year, when there was a draft, we had a game. So I haven’t seen their full squad. But because this is the second year, so I’m presuming most of the players were retained from last year. And if they can go to the final, then I’m hoping that they could actually cross that line as well,” he added.
Sikandar Raza on Zimbabwe’s T20 World Cup chances
The T20 World Cup 2026 is not very far away, with the tournament set to be played in India and Sri Lanka, starting 7 February. Zimbabwe, after failing to qualify for the last edition, have made it this time under Raza’s captaincy. The African side finds themselves in a tricky group which comprises Australia, Sri Lanka, Ireland and Oman.
Sikandar Raza receives ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier trophy
Speaking on Zimbabwe’s chances at the T20 World Cup, Raza stated, “Yeah, certainly. Every group in the World Cup is meant to be tough because some of the best teams are playing in that competition. So just like any other group, our group is tough as well.
But we look at that group and think, yeah, if we play our best cricket, we have a decent chance to go to the next round. And that’s what we’re focusing on and that’s what we’re looking forward to,” the Zimbabwe captain said.
Sikandar Raza on ILT20’s growth
T20 leagues have gained immense popularity in modern-day cricket and the UAE’s ILT20, among the other tournaments, has witnessed a growth in popularity and star power. Raza, who has been part of the tournament right from its first year and is captain of Sharjah Warriors in the 2025-26 season, explained what he thinks has led to ILT20’s rise.
Sikandar Raza in action for Sharjah Warriors in ILT20 this season.
“I think the success of ILT20 is because there are so many nationalities that are part of this. Dubai plays a huge part in ILT20 to be successful. The fact that you can have 10 overseas players, I mean, that tells you that the standard is going to be very high. So I think just the whole setup of how ILT has been set up has helped ILT to be successful and eye-catching. And a lot of the big players do want to be part of ILT20,” he said.
