Cricket and religion are not related, and we should never question a player about his religion. However, when a cricketer changes religion, it is heavily highlighted in the media and becomes a topic of discussion among fans. We are going to tell you about some cricketers who changed their religion for personal reasons. Presenting to you the Top 10 Cricketers Who Changed Their Religion:

1. Mohammad Yousuf

He was a former cricketer from Pakistan who batted in the middle order. He was born into a Christian family and was previously named Yousuf Youhana. He converted to Islam after attending the Tablighi Jamaat in 2005-2006. He changed his name from Yousuf Youhana to Mohammad Yousuf. He later kept a beard.

2. Tillakaratne Dilshan

He is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who batted as an opener and bowled right-arm off-spin. He was born into a Muslim family. But later, he changed his religion to Buddhism after his parent’s separation. He adopted the religion of his mother. He was previously named Taiwan Mohammed Dilshan.

3. Wayne Parnell

He is a South African cricketer who bowls left-arm fast-medium. In 2011, Parnell converted to Islam because he liked the principles of the religion. Since then, he has followed Islam religiously. He adopted a new name, ‘Waleed’, which means new-born son. He has also come to support PETA at different events.

4. Suraj Randiv

He was a former Sri Lankan cricketer who bowled right-arm off-spin. He made his debut against India in 2009. He was a Muslim at the time of his birth and was previously named Mohammed Masruk Suraj, but later he converted to Buddhism and adopted the name Suraj Randiv.

5. Vinod Kambli

He was a former cricketer for India who batted in the middle order, and he was the first player to score a tonne on his birthday. He was born into a Hindu family but later converted to Christianity following his marriage to a Christian girl. He was a childhood best friend of Sachin Tendulkar.

6. Mahmudul Hasan

He is a former international cricketer who represented Bangladesh. He has played a lot of matches in first-class cricket. He was in the Under-19 team for Bangladesh in the 2009 World Cup. He was born into a Muslim family but later converted to Hinduism. He changed his name from Mahmudul Hasan to Vikash Ranjan Das.

7. A.G. Kripal Singh

He was a former Indian cricketer who was an attacking batsman and a useful off-spinner. He belongs to a cricketing family. He was born into a Sikh family but later fell in love with a Christian girl, converted his religion to marry her, and shaved his beard and hair. He died at the age of 53 due to cardiac arrest.

8. Bikash Ranjan Das

He was a former Bangladeshi cricketer who batted in the middle order and bowled left-arm fast-medium. He was born into a Hindu family as Bikash Ranjan Das but later converted to Islam as Mahmudur Rahman. He was part of the team when Bangladesh played its first-ever test match in Dhaka.

9. Bjorn Fortuin

He is a South African cricketer who debuted in 2019 and is a right-handed batsman and a left-arm orthodox bowler. He was in the squad for the 2021 T20 World Cup in South Africa. He was born into a Christian family, but in 2021 he converted to Islam, adopting the Muslim name Imaad. He is the second South African after Parnell to convert to Islam.

10. Shivnarine Chanderpaul

He is a former cricketer from the West Indies. He was one of the most successful cricketers from the West Indies. He is the 10th-highest run scorer of all time and 8th in tests. He was born of Guyanese origin. He later adopted Hinduism’s culture. He has played 164 tests and 268 ODIs for the West Indies.