Azhar Mahmood can be a threat with both bat and ball in Twenty20 cricket

Azhar Mahmood will miss the start of the domestic cricket season with Kent after the all-rounder was bought in the auction for the Indian Premier League.

The 36-year-old former Pakistan international went for US$200,000, twice his base price, to Kings XI Punjab. He joins England duo Stuart Broad and Dimitri Mascarenhas in the squad, along with Australia’s Adam Gilchrist.

Mahmood thanked Kent and the England and Wales Cricket Board on Twitter for being “accommodating and co-operative” in allowing the lucrative deal to take place.

It leaves Kent without the veteran’s services for a big chunk of the season. The IPL begins on April 4, the day before Kent start their LV= County Championship Division Two campaign away to Yorkshire. Depending on how Kings XI Punjab perform, Mahmood could be away for almost two months, with the IPL final held on May 27.

Photo by ADY KERRY