Lockie Ferguson

A genuine fast bowler who can hit tremendously high speeds from a tall frame, Lockie Ferguson has everything in him to become a match-winner for New Zealand. In today's era, we often see many fast bowlers having to reduce their speeds to be more durable in the international arena. Like most of them, Ferguson is also rather injury-prone but what has impressed is his undying determination to bowl fast. It was his ability to generate raw pace that handed him a First-class debut in 2012-13 and a couple of seasons later, he shone brightly with his attributes reaping success in a big way. Ferguson shot to fame during the 2014-15 first class season where he bagged 21 wickets. He followed the performance with 31 wickets in the following season, propelling the selectors to take a note of him. However, it was much later in December 2016 that he got a chance to don the New Zealand jersey when he replaced an injured Adam Milne in the ODI side for the series against Australia..

A T20I debut also followed in early 2017 although he hasn't played since his maiden game. Ferguson has featured in a few 50-over games for New Zealand and although his numbers are a bit patchy, there is no doubt regarding the impact he can provide on his day. New Zealand think tank does value his enigmatic skills and are planning to handle him with care so that he can become a long term weapon of the limited-overs team.

Sometimes Ferguson struggles with his lines but with the amount of speed he generates, that's bound to happen. Players who struggle against the short ball need to be wary of Ferguson. He mostly bowls attacking lines, hence the fast bowler's economy rate is on the higher side. On good batting wickets, if Ferguson doesn't hit the right lines and lengths, he might concede plenty.

Lockie Ferguson's growth as an express fast bowler co-incided with a lucrative contract with the now defunct Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS), who secured him with a base price contact of Rupees fifty lakhs in 2017. Despite having played only a handful of matches, his raw pace and clever variations saw him impress the IPL scouts. Coming to the 2019 auctions, Kolkata Knight Riders warded off a spirited challenge from Kings XI Punjab to land their target at a cost of 1.6 crore rupees.

Lockie Ferguson was a part of Kolkata Knight Riders from 2019-2021, and he was picked by the Gujarat Titans for IPL 2022. The speedster had a decent season for the Titans as he picked 12 wickets in the tournament. Ahead of IPL 2023, Ferguson was traded from Gujarat Titans by his former team - Kolkata Knight Riders.