MUMBAI: A miserly spell of 4-0-13-0 by Noor Ahmad was crucial as Chennai Super Kings snapped their five-match losing streak in Lucknow on Monday. While captain MS Dhoni walked away with the Player of the Match award with his 11-ball 26 coupled with some brilliant work behind the stumps, Noor also played a big role in restricting Lucknow Super Giants to 166/7.
The 20-year-old left arm wrist spinner from Afghanistan is the leading wicket taker of the 2025 IPL at the moment with 12 scalps from seven matches so far. Often referred to as a baby-faced assassin, Noor hardly goes into overdrive while celebrating a wicket. Unlike cricketers of his age, he is in full control of his emotions on the field. Despite playing for one of the biggest franchises of the IPL, who bought him for a whopping `10 crore in the mega auction, Noor is usually calm and composed.
But there was a time when he couldn't sleep the whole night after he became part of an Afghan club. His childhood coach Saifullah Zadran, who is Afghanistan Cricket Board coach in Khost National Academy, shared an interesting anecdote on his famous ward. "When Noor joined Khost National Academy, I saw him bowling and was impressed. He was pitching in good areas, had a quick googly and was not allowing batters to middle the ball. He had just started playing hard ball cricket then. I asked him about the club he plays for but he was not part of any of them. Then I asked for his ID and provided him an opportunity with a club named Khost Zwanan (Khost Youth Club) to play in the Khost province inter-club tournament. He was very happy to become part of a club and could not sleep that night as per information from his friends," the coach told this daily.
Post that, Noor progressed by leaps and bounds since to make it to the Afghanistan U-19 team. "He delivered, picking up 24 wickets in the tournament and made it to two-day provincial tournament playing for Khost province. Since then, he has not looked back and has been moving forward representing national teams and performing in various cricket leagues around the world," added the coach.
He might be one of the most-sought after bowlers in this age of the T20 leagues but there was a time when doubts were cast on his decision to pursue cricket. "Noor's father did not want him to play cricket. Instead, he wanted him to focus on his education as Noor was very intelligent. He was first position holder till grade 10 in the school. (His) elder brother, Mohammad Noor, who also plays cricket and knows the game well, noticed Noor's bowling and convinced their father. So, it was his elder brother who brought Noor to the cricket academy first and paved the way to learn professional cricket. This is how the journey started."
Another of his his elder brothers, Allah, has been part of Khost province as an all-rounder. In 2019 when Noor was just 14, he threw his name into the IPL auction but went unsold. The script didn't change in the subsequent years but he was not perturbed. Four years later, Gujarat Titans bought him and he has not looked back since then.
"In the first few years, Noor wasn’t picked by IPL teams but then he started working hard. Consequently, he was picked by Gujarat. He gained a lot of experience in IPL that helped him perform brilliantly in other leagues across the globe. As a result, Chennai got interested in him and picked him for the 2025 edition. To share my point of view about Noor, yeah, I did believe that he has talent and whenever he gets an opportunity, he will prove himself which he did," added the coach.
The Chennai-based franchise is known to bank more on experienced players rather than rising youngsters and Noor is one of the few exceptions, who have made it to the team. "It is true that CSK comprise senior and much experienced players. When he was picked by CSK, I was happy for him because I know that he will only benefit in the company of MS Dhoni and other senior players and he would do well for the team."
Zadran said it's Noor's hard work that had made him lethal. "So far, he is one of the leading wicket-takers in this season of the IPL and the secret behind his success is his googly that he bowls very smartly. He bowls googly quite quickly, targeting good areas and not allowing batters to judge his variations. Such performances are not easy in such big leagues. It needs a lot of effort because it is not about only participating but it is about participation and proving yourself as a quality player. On such platforms, one not only performs for himself and his team but also for his country."
The coach also credited Afghanistan's Rashid Khan for playing a huge role in Noor's success and said the youngster along with his senior compatriots have inspired a generation of players back home with their impactful performances.