5 career-redefining IPL seasons for overseas players

#3 James Faulkner (IPL 2013)

James Faulkner's 2013 IPL led to him becoming a limited-overs regular for Australia

James Faulkner's IPL career had a quiet start, as he made his debut for the Pune Warriors in 2011 before playing a couple of games for Punjab in 2012. In 2013, however, Rajasthan Royals put their money down on the Tasmanian seam-bowling all-rounder, hoping for a boost in the bowling as well as some lower-order hitting.

Faulkner made a significant impact with the faith of the team management. He scalped 28 wickets that season, bamboozling batsmen with variations at the death and chipping in with runs too. 2013 happened to be one of the better seasons for the franchise, as they finished 3rd and also made the Champions League T20 final. Faulkner's finest performance in the season was an economical 5-wicket haul against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Although Faulkner had already made nascent international strides, the 2013 IPL reinforced the Australian team management's faith in him. His crowning moment came in the ODI series versus India - not only did he humiliate Ishant Sharma with 30 runs off an over to help Australia win a match, but he also scored his maiden ODI hundred while chasing a colossal 384 in Bangalore.

Faulkner also holds the distinction of being Man of the Match in a World Cup final - in the 2015 final, he scalped three crucial New Zealand wickets to tie them down to a paltry total.

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#2 Dwayne Bravo (IPL 2012)

Bravo's season with Chennai in 2012 was a major reason for his T20 stocks skyrocketing

The "Champion" himself, DJ Bravo needs no introduction, having cemented himself as a T20 great and a fan favourite. Although he had spent three initial seasons with the Mumbai Indians, Bravo became inextricably linked with the yellow jersey after his phenomenal season in IPL 2012. The Chennai Super Kings retained the player after their win in 2011, despite him barely featuring for the franchise that year.

Bravo repaid the faith, as he tallied 371 runs - still the highest he has scored in a season for the franchise - and picked up 15 wickets. As a result of his heroics, CSK marched to their third straight finals. While a clinical Kolkata Knight Riders chase dented their hopes of a three-peat, it did not diminish the value Bravo held for the franchise.

In the same year, Bravo played a crucial role in winning his team the 2012 T20 World Cup. His IPL exploits made him a hot buy in leagues all around the world, and soon, he become the backbone of the West Indies team in the shorter formats before even becoming the captain.

Even now, he remains available for selection after having come out of T20 international retirement, and hopes for a T20 World Cup swansong in 2021.

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#1 Jos Buttler (IPL 2018)

Jos Buttler became an England all-format regular shortly after his 2018 IPL heroics

Jos Buttler the limited-overs cricketer scarcely needs an introduction. Stuart Broad recently went on to call him England's best-ever after a T20I run-chase versus Australia.

England’s best ever white ball cricketer does it again. ⭐️ @josbuttler 🔥🏏 https://t.co/jMGW8HXApS

— Stuart Broad (@StuartBroad8) September 6, 2020

His finest moment in England colours - breaking the stumps to ensure New Zealand did not overhaul England's Super Over total in the 2019 ICC World Cup final - may have come without his IPL masterclass in 2018. However, unlike all the other mentions in this list that were limited-overs recalls, Buttler was in store for something different.

After equalling the record for the most consecutive IPL fifties, and racking up 548 runs with Rajasthan Royals in 2018, Buttler had sent a signal to the selectors back home. Ed Smith, new chief selector, wasted no time in recalling him to the Test team, hoping for some similarly attacking cricket.

Buttler impressed at home against Pakistan, before scoring a century in a losing cause against India at Trent Bridge. Taking the gloves from Jonny Bairstow, the wicket-keeper has now carved out a spot for himself, and rose to the occasion recently in a thrilling Test against Pakistan to win the match when the top order gave way.

So while Buttler may have had a strong England career regardless, his consistent IPL performances not only made him a global T20 star, but also brought him an unlikely berth in all three forms of the game - something he will be grateful for.