Azmatullah Omarzai sits outside the model's optimal XII. As an overseas pace bowler, he competes for one of PBKS' 4 overseas slots against Mitch Owen, Marcus Stoinis, Cooper Connolly, and Marco Jansen. His projected WAR/M of 0.15 is driven by bowling (0.11 WAR/M) with minimal batting (0.01). The IPL confidence of 0.70 reflects a thin 472 T20 ball sample.

Bowling

Omarzai bowled 27 overs at 10 economy with 8 wickets. His Ecae of -0.75 means he leaked runs at a rate above what phase adjustments would expect. His bowling surplus of -20 confirms underperformance vs replacement level.

Over 500 career bowling balls, the sample is small enough that improvement is possible. He bowls 34% of his balls at the death, suggesting a death-overs usage pattern. Across 26 T20 matches, he is still developing.

Batting

With just 74 career batting balls and a batting WAR/M of 0.01, Omarzai provides no meaningful batting contribution at IPL level.

Why He Misses the XII

The overseas slot constraint is the primary reason. PBKS' optimal XII uses its four overseas spots on Owen (opener), Stoinis (all-rounder), Connolly (new-ball bowler), and Jansen (death bowler). Omarzai's 10 economy and -0.75 Ecae do not justify displacing any of those four. His xImpact of 41 is the lowest among PBKS' overseas pace options.

What This Means for IPL 2026

Omarzai is a development option and injury cover. If one of the four overseas starters is unavailable, he becomes the first pace replacement, particularly for death-overs bowling. At 26 matches old in T20 cricket, there is room for growth. But the current numbers do not support a starting role.