In what is sure to turn out as his perfect dress rehearsal for the Dream11 Indian Premier League, mystery spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman has left an indelible mark in the 2020 edition of the CPL. With his franchise Jamaica Tallawahs being eliminated from the tournament in the semi finals, the 19-year-old leaves the Hero Caribbean Premier League as the joint-top wicket taker of the competition.

Mujeeb, who represents Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, picked up 16 wickets in the competition, leading the honours for most scalps in the tournament along with New Zealand’s Scott Kuggeleijn. While the teenage sensation may no longer be in the competition with his team being defeated in the semis, he can still leave the Caribbean with his head held high.

The bowler from Afghanistan picked up at least one wicket in eight out of his 11 games in the 2020 edition of the CPL, and was named man of the match on one occasion as well. Mujeeb picked up three wickets in three consecutive matches for his franchise, conceding less than a run a ball on all of those occasions.

Apart from being the current joint-top wicket taker of the 2020 CPL edition, Mujeeb was also one of the most economical bowlers for his franchise, despite bowling a bulk of his overs in the powerplay. The youngster maintained an economy rate of 5.3 runs per over in the competition, and conceded in excess of 24 runs on just three occasions in the competition. He did admirably in the semis as well against an unbeaten Trinbago Knight Riders side, picking the only wicket of the innings and maintaining an economy rate of six an over.

Alongside Mujeeb, other KXIP players like Nicholas Pooran and Sheldon Cottrell have also impressed in the 2020 CPL season, with the former scoring the only century of the competition so far. Cottrell too looked sharp in the early parts of the season, picking up three wickets in his first two games.

With the CPL season concluding on September 10, the trio of KXIP players are expected to head straight to the UAE to join the rest of the squad. Mujeeb and Pooran have been firing on all cylinders in the Caribbean; and the Kings XI Punjab fans and management would hope for more of the same to continue when the IPL season commences on September 19.