'Wanted' in next IPL auctions: Salman smashes 11 sixes in 13 balls in Kerala Cricket League match

Thiruvananthapuram: Salman Nizar, who showed his classical batting traits during Kerala's runner-up finish in the last Ranji Trophy season, smashed an unprecedented 11 sixes off 13 balls including a 40-run final over, in a Kerala Cricket League T20 match on Saturday.

The 28-year-old left-hander, who would soon be joining the South Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy semi-final, hit an unbeaten 86 off just 26 balls with the help of 12 sixes as his team Calicut Globstars beat Adani Trivandrum Royals by 13 runs.

Globstars scored 186 for six and bowled out ATR for 173 in 19.3 overs.

Batting first, Calicut Globstars were struggling at 115 for six after 18 overs with Salman batting on 17 off 13 balls. Up till then, he had hit only one six off Ajith Vasudevan.

However, the 19th over bowled by Basil Thampi changed the complexion of the Globstars innings. Thampi, who was a part of the Indian squad that won the Nidahas Trophy in 2018, was hit for five consecutive sixes as he repeatedly erred on length. The length of one of the two square boundaries seemed a bit on the shorter side though.

A lot of Salman's sixes came after he made room and slashed the ball over cover point region. For the other sixes, he muscled it over cow corner and long on.

He hammered Thampi for 31 runs, which completely destroyed the pacer's figures as he went for 65 in four overs, after going for 25 in his first three.

But it was Abhijeet Praveen, who bore the maximum brunt of Salman's brutal onslaught as the bowler leaked a whopping 40 runs in the final over of the innings. ATR skipper Krishna Prasad's strategy to hand the ball to Praveen at the expense of Nikhil M (3/20), who had an over left, proved to be a disaster for his team.

Salman belted the first ball from Praveen for a six, the next couple of deliveries were called wide, and then a no-ball got them three runs. With 10 runs scored and only one legal delivery bowled, the next five were hit for five sixes.

This effort will certainly not go unnoticed as far as the IPL scouts are concerned and he is expected to be called for trials. Salman would be on the wish-list of multiple franchises.

Earlier this year in a Ranji Trophy quarter-final, Kerala were 200 for nine in their first innings after Jammu and Kashmir scored 280. Salman scored an unbeaten 112 as Kerala got a slender one-run lead.

One can call it a coincidence as it was Thampi, who added 81 runs with Salman for the final wicket, which took them to the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy on that day.