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The Zimbabwe batting allrounder Sikandar Raza opened up on the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and said that he was excited to see his old friends at Punjab Kings.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Raza said that he was looking forward to the "relationships" that he has made in his first year of IPL. He added that the relationships and bonds help a player feel "comfortable" and "perform" better in a franchise. "Punjab Kings have retained me, so I am excited to see my old friends that I have made. The relationships that I made in my first year of IPL, and I am looking forward to it. Ofcourse it makes you comfortable if you have that bond and relationship with the franchise, with the owners, the players. It really helps you to perform and it also helps you to get a good space to prepare," Raza told ANI. The Punjab Kings picked Raza at the IPL 2023 mini-auction for Rs 50 lakhs following that he played seven matches and scored 139 runs at an average of 27.80 with a strike rate of 141.84. His best score best score for the Punjab-based franchise was 98. The Zimbabwean will also lead Punjab's top order in the upcoming IPL 2024. When asked about his experience in the ongoing International League T20 (ILT20) with the Dubai Capitals, he said that it "has been very good". He added that it was "nice" to be back with the same team. The 37-year-old added that it was an "incredible honour" to be retained by the Dubai-based franchise. "My experience has been very good so far. Of course, it is nice to be back with the same team because you form that relationship and bond with the team as well. So, to be retained is an incredible honour because Dubai Capitals trusted me since last year. It is a nice feeling that you kept the trust with your performances. It has been nice so far," he added. Raza is currently the top run scorer in the ongoing ILT20 with 303 runs after taking part in 11 matches and 10 innings at an average of 33.67 and with a strike rate of 137.73. This season, he has smashed 25 fours and 10 sixes. Raza was asked about Zimbabwe Cricket's future after they failed to qualify for the ODI World Cup 2023 and the upcoming T20 World Cup to which he said that the decisions taken by the chairman of the board were "firm and strong". The right-handed batter was "very confident" that the future of Zimbabwe Cricket "will be going up". "Zimbabwe had an AGM on Sunday. The Chairman has a firm and strong press conference with some changes that have already been indicated and I think those changes are good changes. The future of Zimbabwe Cricket depends on these changes, and I am very confident in the future of Zimbabwe Cricket. Hopefully, we will be going up," he concluded. The 37-year-old made his T20I debut in 2013 against Bangladesh, following that he appeared in 81 20-over matches and 70 innings in which he scored 1187 runs with a strike rate of 55.16. He also bagged 58 wickets in the short-format cricket. (ANI)
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