Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has showered praise on Punjab batter Salil Arora ahead of IPL 2026. Pathan said Arora seems to be in the same category as other Punjab batters like Abhishek Sharma, Naman Dhir and Ramandeep Singh.
Arora impressed one and all with his performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 358 runs in eight innings at an average of 71.88 and a strike rate of 198.88 in the domestic tournament. The wicket-keeper bat was bought for INR 1.5 crore in the IPL 2026 mini auction by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube Channel, “Salil Arora. He comes from the Punjab cricket system and has already delivered strong performances, which is why he has made a name for himself in domestic cricket. Players like Abhishek Sharma, Naman Dhir, and Ramandeep Singh have come from Punjab, and Salil Arora looks to be of a similar level.”
“He has been picked by SRH for around ₹1.5 crore as a backup player. So, if Nitish Kumar Reddy is not in form, or if Aniket Verma is not performing well, he can step in as a backup option.The good thing is that both the main players will also feel the pressure to perform because they know there is a talented domestic player waiting in the ranks.”
Pathan said it seems like Shivam Mavi’s bowling is getting better ahead of IPL 2026. Mavi has been troubled by injuries in the past but he was bought by SRH at his base price of INR 75 lakhs.
He said, “There is another important player, Shivam Mavi. He has also paid close attention to his bowling action. Earlier, his body used to fall or collapse sideways during delivery, but that issue has reduced now, largely due to improved fitness, which was a major concern before. Now, it seems like his bowling is getting better. His pace is also consistently above 140 km/h, which used to be the case earlier, then dipped, but now looks steady again. So, the question is, can he capitalize on his opportunity this season?”
Kolkata Knight Riders will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on 29th March.
