England red-ball coach Brendon McCullum said it would be “awesome” if leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed bags an IPL deal following his stellar Test debut and he would want the teenager to play as much franchise cricket as possible.

The 18-year-old Ahmed became the youngest to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut as he claimed figures of (5/48) against Pakistan on day three in the third Test here. Ahmed, who already has a deal to play in the inaugural ILT20 in the UAE in January and February, has entered the IPL auction, to be held in Kochi on Friday, with a base price of Rs 40 lakh. “It would be great if he gets picked up at the IPL. It would be awesome if he did,” McCullum told BBC’s Test Match Special on Tuesday.

“Why not give him that opportunity to rub shoulders with other players and pick up those experiences? He’s a fully fledged international cricketer.”