Khaleel Ahmed

Born in Tonk, Rajasthan, Khaleel Ahmed was just like any other Indian kid who honed the art of bowling fast by playing tennis ball cricket. Despite his father being against his decision of becoming a cricketer, Khaleel persisted with his dream and finally hogged the limelight when he was included in the Indian squad for the 2016 U 19 World Cup. 

Idolising Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan, Khaleel copied their actions as a kid and his dream of following in the footsteps of his idols came true when he was drafted into the national squad for the 2018 Asia Cup. Despite going for a few runs he impressed with his pace and bounce. He bagged 3 crucial wickets in his debut against Hong Kong and played a vital role in preventing the opponents from registering the biggest upset in World cricket.  

Khaleel joined a cricket academy in Tonk at the age of 12 without informing his father. He trained under Imtiyaz Khan who later sent him to the Rajasthan Cricket Academy in Jaipur. He joined the under-14 camp and then went on to play for the Rajasthan U 14 side. He bagged 26 wickets in the Raj Singh Dungarpur Trophy in just 4 matches. There was a buzz surrounding him and in 2015 he was picked in the under-19 tri-series in Sri Lanka. He impressed yet again picking 13 wickets in 5 matches. Subsequently, he was picked for the 2016 U 19 World Cup. 

Khaleel has so far played a handful of limited-overs matches for India. He was in contention for a spot in the 2019 World Cup but missed out owing to a big pool of fast bowlers. After impressing at the junior level, Khaleel was bought by the Delhi Daredevils, now Capitals for his base price of INR 10 lakhs in the 2016 IPL Auctions. 

Khaleel warmed the benches for the majority of the season but rubbing shoulders with some of the greats of the game helped him immensely in the coming years. Following a good outing in the domestic circuit, Khaleel was bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping INR 3 crores in the 2018 Auctions. With SRH having a settled bowling unit, Khaleel had to warm the benches yet again. 

Khaleel’s moment of recognition in the IPL came in 2019 when he bagged 19 wickets in just 9 games at an exceptional average of 15. It was his uncanny nature to hurry batsmen with his pace which earned him instant recognition in the tournament. Hyped up before the 2020 edition of the IPL, he lost his touch and managed just 8 wickets in 7 matches, and turned out as one of the most expensive bowlers for the Sunrisers. 

On the back of a disappointing IPL season, Khaleel returned back to the domestic circuit in the 2020-21 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He featured in one of the group games and was replaced by Dhawal Kulkarni then after. Khaleel represented Rajasthan in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Trophy and led the side into the semi-final. Khaleel went wicketless in the semifinals and eventually lost the one-sided game.

In the generation of T20’s, Khaleel needs to have a few more deliveries up his repertoire. He is a skiddy customer without an iota of doubt but he has been found wanting on several occasions in the big stages. He hasn’t found an answer when he has been at the receiving end of an onslaught. His predictable line and length have allowed top-class batsmen to get hold of him. However, he is just 23 years old and has enough time by his side to make an impact. 

(As of March 2021)