IPL (Indian Premier League) is the most competitive t20 league globally, and every player, be it Indian or International, wants to be a part of it. But Pakistani players are not allowed to be a part of it due to sour relations between the two nations. IPL 2008 was the only season Pakistani players were part of the
tournament. Here are the 10 Pakistani players who have played in the Indian Premier League.
1. Shahid Afridi
The Pakistani all-rounder played for Deccan Chargers (DC) in the inaugural season of IPL He scored 81 runs and took nine wickets in the ten matches he had played. Deccan chargers were last on the points table that season. They won only two games out of 14.
2. Shoaib Akhtar
The Pakistani pacer is quite famous among Indian fans and always brought excitement to the game with his pace. He played for Kolkata Knight Riders in that season. However, he played only three games for the team and took five wickets. In one of the games against Delhi Daredevils, he took four wickets for 11
runs which helped KKR win.
3. Sohail Tanvir
This left-arm pacer from Pakistan had quite a memorable season with the inaugural season champions Rajasthan Royals. In 11 matches, he took 22 wickets and became the first purple cap winner. He played a massive role in making the Rajasthan Royals champions in that season under the captaincy of Shane
Warne. He claimed his best figures of 6/14 against Chennai Super Kings.
4. Umar Gul
Kolkata Knight Riders bought another Pakistani pacer. He is considered one of the best Pakistani t20 bowlers. He played six matches for Kolkata and picked 12 wickets at an economy of 8.18 with best figures of 4/23 against KXIP. In the same game, he also scored quickfire 24 runs in the death overs and helped KKR chase 175 runs.
5. Misbah-ul-Haq
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bought the Pakistani batsman for his calmness and excellent cricketing mind. Rahul Dravid was the captain of the RCB team that year. Misbah scored 117 runs in 8 matches with a strike rate of 144.44.
6. Shoaib Malik
Delhi Daredevils bought the former Pakistani captain in the 2008 IPL season. The right- handed batsman could not cement his spot in the side because of overseas solid players such as AB Devilliers, Dilshan, Daniel Vettori, and Glenn McGrath. He could manage to play only seven games and scored only 52 runs at a strike rate of 110.64.
7. Mohammad Hafeez
With his excellent batting technique and ability to provide crucial overs in the middle of the game, he is a tremendous asset for any t20 franchise. Kolkata Knight Riders bought him in the IPL. During the IPL selection, he lost his spot on the Pakistan team. He scored 64 runs and took two wickets in eight matches.
8. Salman Butt
Kolkata Knight Riders bought the Pakistani right-handed batsman in the IPL. He formed the most attractive opening pair with Ganguly that season and did some valuable partnerships up the order. He had to wait for his turn as he got to play only when Ricky Ponting, Chris Gayle, and Brendon McCullum
had to leave for their national duties. He played seven games for KKR and scored 193 runs with a strike rate of 119.88, having the best score of 73.
9. Younis Khan
One of the greatest batters Pakistan has ever produced. Rajasthan Royals bought Younis Khan in the IPL. He is known for his batting in tests. He is renowned for his batting in t20 cricket. He was benched for the whole season apart from one game in which he scored only three runs and got out early. A year later, Younis led Pakistan to the ICC World T20 title.
10. Kamran Akmal
Rajasthan Royals bought the wicket-keeper batsman in the 2008 IPL. His wicket-keeping skills were reliable. He was not a regular player and got his chances only when some other international player was unavailable. But he played the final for Rajasthan Royals (RR). He played six games for RR and scored 128 runs at a healthy strike rate of 164.1.
