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Nicknamed ‘Junior Azhar’ by his friends, Mohammed Azharuddeen is a right-hand wicket-keeper batsman, who plays for Kerala in domestic cricket and for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Born in Thalangara, Kerala, Azharuddeen made his first class debut in the 2015/16 Ranji Trophy season, and made his List-A debut in the same year in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The batsman was suspended for three games in the 2018/19 Vijay Hazare Trophy, after showing dissent against Kerala captain Sachin Baby. It wasn’t until 2021 that Azharuddeen came into limelight. The Kerala man scored an unbeaten 137 off just 54 deliveries to help Kerala chase a mammoth total of 197 against a top quality bowling line-up of Mumbai during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He smashed nine fours and 11 sixes in that knock, and in the process became the first Kerala player to score a century in a T20 game. His scintillating performance was rewarded with an IPL contract ahead of the 2021 season. Azharuddeen was purchased by Royal Challenger Bangalore (RCB) for INR 20 lakhs. The young batsman has a big season ahead of him. A good performance in the IPL may open the door for an international call-up. He’ll be playing with some of the biggest names in world cricket and will learn a lot under the guidance of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. (As of March 2021)
