He took four wickets.
Ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, former Rajasthan Royals (RR) bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi bowled a fabulous spell during the International League T20 (ILT20) 2025/26 fixture between MI Emirates and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders last night. He has been inconsistent with the ball lately, but this spell will help him get noticed by IPL franchises again.
Farooqi took four wickets for 14 runs at an economy rate of 4 in 3.3 overs in Abu Dhabi. He dismissed big batters like Alex Hales (6) and Jason Holder (2), along with Khary Pierre (2), and Ajay Kumar to bundle the Knight Riders on a mere 122 in 19.3 overs.
These were his second-best T20 figures this year, and it was also his third spell of four or more wickets in 39 innings in 2025. Before this game, the left-arm pacer was expensive in two of three ILT20 2025/26 outings, having an economy rate of 9 against Desert Vipers and 10.66 against Gulf Giants.
However, Fazalhaq Farooqi made a timely return to form and showed his class again against a formidable batting outfit, helping MI Emirates achieve their second win of the season. While he didn’t win the Player of the Match award, with Kamindu Mendis taking the trophy for his three wickets and 10 runs, the Afghanistan pacer was certainly instrumental in his team’s emphatic victory.
Fazalhaq Farooqi joined the Rajasthan Royals for INR 2 crore in the previous edition, but his performances were beyond abysmal. The left-arm pacer went wicketless and conceded 12.35 runs per over across five innings in IPL 2025, as batters took him apart in almost every over.
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Hence, RR released him ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, and he will be up for grabs again, this time at a base price of INR 1 crore. However, Farooqi’s chances of being sold at the auction are minimal, given that his recent performances against better batting units and his previous IPL outings haven’t been inspiring.
This year, Farooqi has averaged 25.25 and conceded 8.69 runs per over in all T20s, and his new-ball effectiveness has not been the same. He has averaged a tepid 36.14 and leaked 8.29 runs per over, with a balls-per-boundary ratio of 4.75, in this phase.
Additionally, Fazalhaq Farooqi bowls ample boundary-hitting deliveries and doesn’t really have developed enough defensive skills to bowl economical overs on flat decks, which will be aplenty in IPL. Then, teams have more options to choose from, with several young, more skilled pacers available at the IPL 2026 auction.
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