The Zimbabwe allrounder, who has roots in Punjab, was quite excited at the prospect. “It was part of my thinking that before I hang my boots up, it would be nice to have the IPL on my CV,” Raza told ESPNcricinfo. “Alhamdulillah (thank God) it has happened. I am really happy, humble and excited at the same time. I would have [been fine with] any franchise but to have a Punjabi munda in Punjab, it is a great match.”
Raza was following the IPL auction in Kathmandu, and just as his name came up, the internet connection dropped. By the time he was online again, his turn had come and gone.
“I was in training today. I was calm. Sometimes I was nervous. I went through all the emotions before the auction.
“We went back to the hotel. Then there was an anti-corruption meeting [while the auction was on]. When it was my turn at the IPL auction, I was moving from one room to another, and the internet got disconnected.
“While it was connecting back again, I started getting a lot of messages from my friends, congratulating me. I said, ‘what, I can’t see it. Are you guys playing a prank?’ They said check the auction. I said I am checking but I haven’t even been up there.
“What happened was, by the time I reconnected, I had gone already. So basically I didn’t see the bid. Maybe that was a good thing actually. I reckon it’s a good thing. If I was watching, I would have shouted in the meeting!”
“It has been incredible. It has been life and career changing. Every time I have won a Player-of-the-Match trophy, I kiss my mum’s hand and give her the trophy. The best part of these few months is that I have handed her over a lot of trophies. I think the trophy cabinet is full now. To sum it up, I would say that making my parents proud has been the highlight.”
“But all he said was, ‘Son, you are playing cricket. Make sure you win the trophy. Enjoy it. I will see you when you come back’. That’s all he said to me, and it changed a lot of things in my mind. It was a turning point. Dave Houghton has played a huge role.”
Now, Raza is exactly where he wants to be in his cricket career, and he plans to soak it all in. “I used to see other cricketers go from one league to another, and on to another. Allah has given me this opportunity, so I will not complain about anything – the wicket, weather or changing environment, culture and changing room. I will just be grateful, which makes everything else easier.”