KM Asif

One of the surprise uncapped picks in the 2018 IPL Auctions, KM Asif is a really promising Indian fast bowler hailing from Kerala with the ability to bowl at genuinely high speeds on a consistent basis. With his hometown being a strong football-centric zone, it wasn't a surprise that Asif initially wanted to be footballer. However, a cricketer friend's impact led him to play tennis-ball cricket. It was the legendary Australian pacer Jeff Thompson who spotted his skills at a camp and Asif was soon climbing up the ladder really quickly. His ability to bowl express pace excited everybody who saw him bowl and he even got an opportunity to be a net bowler for the Kolkata franchise during the 2017 IPL season.

The 2017-18 Vijay Hazare trophy was Asif's List A debut and although he didn't have great success, the skills were visible to one and all. His IPL selection came purely by chance, courtesy BCCI's last-minute decision to prepone the schedule of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy - India's premier T20 tournament - so that the knockout stages could be completed before the IPL auctions. This decision is what turned the tables for Asif who had a great run in the tournament, hustling batsmen with his pace and also showing good control. Despite all this, he wasn't a straight pick and was eventually selected on the final day of the auctions by the Chennai outfit for 40 Lakhs INR. This move has certainly given him a bit of fame.

A huge fan of Dale Steyn, Asif realizes that being a genuine pacer isn't a walk in the park. However, his determination to succeed has been a quality that the coaches and his teammates have spotted in him since his initial cricketing days.

IPL through the years

With Chennai having a large pool of players, it was always unlikely that he would get a consistent run barring the odd chance. He got to play two games in 2018 when an injury to Deepak Thakur opened the doors for him. But that was about it and then he got another game in 2021. He stayed with CSK till 2022 as he was purchased for 30 Lakhs INR ahead of IPL 2022. But CSK had a miserable season and Asif didn't get a game. Ahead of IPL 2023, RR wanted an Indian seamer and got the services of Asif for 30 Lakhs INR.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan