Musheer Khan's IPL Dream Start Turns Into Nightmare for PBKS

A long awaited return to the IPL playoffs after 11 years for Punjab Kings did not go according to their plans. Playing the first qualifier of each other at home against RCB, Shreyas Iyer's charges produced the worst batting display of their season. With the innings all but in the death throes, the Batsmen handed a debut to Musheer Khan, who is the brother of Sarfaraz Khan, hoping to bring the change. But that did not happen at Mullanpur.

 

PBKS were in dire straits, and as such, coach Ricky Ponting sent in Musheer Khan as the impact substitute. Making his IPL debut, the 20-year-old had impressed earlier, including with a standout performance for India U-19 in their World Cup win and a century in the Ranji Trophy final 2023/24 for Mumbai. 

 

The debut could not have been worse, technically. Musheer had not faced more than a couple of balls before being trapped LBW by Suyash Sharma. He went for a review, but it stayed. Well, Musheer did not fare well with the bat but got to his footman's relief, finally getting a wicket by bowling out Mayank Agarwal.

 

After his departure, the rest of the Punjab batting order crumbled, getting bundled out for a meagre 101 runs in 14.1 overs, which happens to be the lowest number of overs that any side has batted in an IPL playoff game. It also became the joint third-lowest total in the history of knockout cricket. 

 

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Despite that poor start to his IPL career, Musheer Khan would look to bounce back and chart his own course. His elder brother Sarfaraz Khan had already debuted in the IPL for RCB back in 2015 as the youngest player at the time. Sarfaraz went on to play for Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals, but he went unsold in the IPL 2025 Auction and is now concentrating on red-ball cricket.