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The Indian Premier League (IPL) is undoubtedly the grandest cricket carnival on the planet. Having a history of picking up young talent and transforming them to mega stars, this tournament has changed the landscape of the sport all around the world. This BCCI initiative of 8 teams from the metro cities of the country was met with an overwhelming response from the Indian fans.
After the huge success of the historic 2007 WT20, the BCCI took no time in identifying the potential the shortest format of the sport had. The T20 format attracted fans from all age groups unlike its previous formats. A three-hour game, huge sixes, epic fielding performances and the thrill proved out to be the core reasons of the popularity of the game.
IPL 2008 was a revolutionary tournament with players from all over the world coming to play in India and enthralling the fans. However, from the 2009 edition due to political tensions, Pakistani cricketers were barred from further taking part in the tournament.
Here’s a list of the 11 Pakistani stars who were a part of the 2008 IPL.
#1 Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi was a part of the Adam Gilchrist led Deccan Chargers in the first edition of IPL. Having been a part of the runners-up Pakistan side of 2007, expectations were high from “Boom Boom Afridi”.
However, in the 10 matches he played he could only score 81 runs at a poor average of 10.12. His leg-spin proved to be effective though, with the veteran scalping 9 wickets with a best performance of 3/28.
The entire Deccan Chargers team comprising big names like VVS Laxman, Rohit Sharma, Adam Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds failed to perform as a cohesive unit. The Hyderabad-based franchise took the wooden spoon in the inaugural edition of the league.
#2 Younis Khan
Younis Khan, the Pakistani veteran had a poor IPL campaign as he took part in only one game representing the eventual champions Rajasthan Royals.
The Shane Warne-led unit had legendary batsmen in the form of Graeme Smith, Damien Martyn, Swapnil Asnodkar and younger talent in Shane Watson & Yusuf Pathan, which stacked up the batting order.
Rajasthan Royals’ management gave Younis a chance but a disappointing outing against the KXIP in the final league game made sure he didn't make it to XI again.
#3 Misbah-Ul-Haq
The cricket fans expected Misbah ul Haq, who played a vital innings against India in the final, to be a huge draw heading into the IPL. The Anil Kumble-led Royal Challengers Bangalore picked up the Pakistani middle order batsman in the inaugural auction.
Representing RCB in 8 matches, Misbah didn’t live up to the expectations as he ended up scoring a meager 117 runs at a poor strike rate of 81. He was dismissed for a golden duck in his last ever IPL innings against the Mumbai Indians.
#4 Sohail Tanvir
The left-arm medium pacer with a unique bowling action was the first ever Purple Cap winner of the Indian Premier League. His 6/14 against the Chennai Super Kings is yet to be overhauled by any other bowler.
The Pakistani bowler picked up 22 wickets in the 11 matches he played with an impressive economy rate of under 7. He proved to be a vital cog in Rajasthan Royals’s triumph and was Warne’s trump card in the tournament.
#5 Umar Gul
Umar Gul was a part of Shahrukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2008. KKR picked him as a front-line pacer of the Golden Army but Gul proved out to be more effective with the bat.
In the 4 innings he batted, he smashed 5 maximums as he ended the tournament with a mind-boggling strike rate of 203.25. He scalped his career best figures of 4-23 in his last IPL match against the Kings XI Punjab. The Pakistani speedster was an important part of the KKR pace attack.
#6 Shoaib Malik
The most dependable batsman of the Pakistani team, Shoaib Malik played for the Virender Sehwag-led Delhi Daredevils in his only appearance in the IPL.
Shoaib Malik featured in the playing XI as an all-rounder and was rather ineffective with both bat and ball. Malik scored mere 52 runs in 7 matches at a lowly average of 13.0. While, in the 5 innings he bowled off-breaks, he could only grab 2 wickets at a hammering economy of 10.
#7 Shoaib Akhtar
The Rawalpindi Express impressed one and all with his bowling heroics in the 3 matches he played for the Knight Riders.
He dismantled the Delhi Daredevils with figures of 4/11 and ended up picking 5 wickets in his short IPL career. Shoaib's quick bouncers turned out to be a nightmare for the opposition batsmen. Akhtar was recently a part of the Hindi commentary panel for the Asia Cup 2018.
#8 Salman Butt
The former Pakistani skipper, Salman Butt was also a part of the KKR franchise in 2008. The left-handed opener provided the Sourav Ganguly side with stable starts and was one of the top run-getters of the team.
Butt amassed 193 runs in the 7 matches he represented KKR. His 73 off 54 balls against MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings was his best IPL performance. He ended his IPL career with a knock of 24 (19) against the Kings XI Punjab.
#9 Kamran Akmal
Kamran Akmal, the Pakistani wicket-keeper was a part of the champion Rajasthan Royals team. Akmal made some crucial contributions with the bat in the slog overs. His 53 (28) at a hammering strike rate of 189.29 against the Chennai Super Kings was the highlight of his IPL career.
His cameo of 24 (8) against the Kings XI Punjab comprising 3 maximums proved out to be a match-winning one. Due to his impressive performances, Shane Warne included him in the playing XI for the finale. However chasing 164 in the second innings, he could score 6 (7) before Makhaya Ntini ran him out.
#10 Mohammad Asif
The medium pacer from Pakistan played for the Delhi Daredevils in the premiere edition of the IPL. Asif represented the Delhi-based franchise in 8 matches.
He impressed everyone in his first match with figures of 2/9 in his 4 overs against the Deccan Chargers. However, he could not repeat that performance again as he ended the season with an economy rate of 9.25. Ironically, Asif’s worst performance of 0/51 also came against the same Deccan Chargers side. He was taken to the cleaners by Shahid Afridi, Venugopal Rao and Rohit Sharma in a match where Delhi prevailed by 12 runs, thanks to a hat-trick by Amit Mishra.
#11 Mohammad Hafeez
Pakistan's spin bowling all-rounder, Mohammad Hafeez was the 4th player from the country to play for the Knight Riders. He failed to perform with the bat scoring just 64 runs in the 8 matches he played. His best performance was a slow 16 (24) against CSK.
With his off-breaks, Hafeez bowled a magnificent spell of 4 overs versus Deccan Chargers where he conceded mere 8 runs while also scalping the wicket of Scott Styris. However, he could pick only 1 wicket in the next 3 innings.
The Pakistani cricketers have not played in the IPL since the last 10 years, which has led to the birth of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
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