'Looking Forward To Master Bumrah’s Yorker And Boult’s Swing'; Mohammad Izhar On Getting Picked In IPL Auction
Bihar’s Mohammed Izhar has been picked by the Mumbai Indians for a price of INR 30 lakh in the IPL 2026 auction.
Published : December 19, 2025 at 7:32 PM IST
Hyderabad: Bihar’s Mohammed Izhar was one of the uncapped Indian players to steal the limelight at the IPL 2026 auction. In the mini auction, the Mumbai Indians bought him for INR 30 lakhs. He belongs to Tuthi town of Supaul district.
In a conversation with ETV Bharat, Izhar said that as soon as the Mumbai Indians selected him in the auction, he received more than 250 phone calls on his mobile, and he eventually had to switch it off. Everyone was congratulating him and sending their best wishes after the news broke out and and he wasn’t able to express the joy he felt after receiving the news.
Looking to learn from elite pacers in the team
Mohammed Izhar said that when any player starts playing the sport, their dream is to play in the IPL and be a part of the Indian team. He is grateful to God for this opportunity and will now try his best whenever he gets a chance to play. His current team includes many legendary fast bowlers, and he is looking forward to learn a lot from them.
Adores Mitchell Starc’s bowling
He has always liked fast bowlers. He admires bowlers like Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar. His idol is Mitchell Starc, and he follows him.
"Starc is also a left-arm fast bowler, and I bowl left-handed too. We have legendary bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult in our team. I'll try to learn the skill of bowling perfect yorkers from Bumrah and learn swing bowling from Boult. Since Boult is a left-arm bowler, I'll have a lot to learn from him,.” he told ETV Bharat.
Wanted to become an engineer in the early days
Izhar said that initially, he wasn't interested in cricket and wanted to become an engineer. In 2013, when he was studying at a school in Kishanganj, he saw some children playing cricket there. He then started playing cricket with them, and gradually he began to enjoy spending time on the field.
Mohammad Izhar says he has one brother, and his father, Mohammad Salauddin, is a teacher, while his mother, Shabnam Khatoon, is a homemaker. He mainly started playing cricket after completing his intermediate studies. After the intermediate, he began practising left-arm fast bowling with a tennis ball. He used to play cricket with his friends, and they liked his fast bowling.
"Two of my friends, Birbal and Jaychand, used to go to a club. They then started taking me to the same Kosi Cricket Club. I started practising there. Around that time, the Bihar Cricket Association received recognition, and district-level matches were organised. After the trials, I was selected for the Bihar cricket team."
Father’s unwavering support and Dhoni’s golden words
Mohammad Izhar says that his father is a teacher and they come from a middle-class family. His father often faced significant financial difficulties in providing him with the necessary accessories, but he never let Izhar feel deprived of anything. His father has always supported him completely, and he says that his father is the one who has supported him the most in the entire family.
Mohammad Izhar said that he was selected as a net bowler for the Chennai Super Kings this year. This was a golden opportunity for him, which he benefited from greatly. He interacted with top players and received guidance from a legend like Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Dhoni's advice has helped him stay motivated.
