5 cricketers you didn’t know played in the IPL 

These players did take part in India's premier T20 Cricket League.

India’s shining success at the inaugural World Cup and rebel ‘Indian Cricket League’ (ICL) inspired Lalit Modi and BCCI to come up with the spectacle of ‘Indian Premier League’. The carnival of cricket began in 2008 and soon became the greatest show in cricket.

Since 2008, 11 editions of the IPL have been played. The 2009 edition was played in South Africa due to the Indian general elections while in 2014, UAE was the host for the first few matches. Even the number of teams participating in the competition has varied from eight to ten. The sides have undergone tremendous transformations with the routine player transfers and auctions taking place every year.

Keeping track of all these activities can be tedious, and some of these can easily be forgotten. The initial years of the IPL consisted of some of the names which we won’t associate with the T20 cricket today. They played in a season or two and moved on thereafter. Here are five such cricketers who you won’t recollect playing in the IPL.

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#5 Wasim Jaffer

Wasim Jaffer is a giant in the Indian domestic cricket. The 40-year-old veteran has piled up 11,000-plus first-class runs and is the current leading run-getter of all-time in Indian first-class cricket. Many Indian cricket fans will remember Jaffer as the stable and sturdy Test opener of India. But do you recall him playing in the flashy and multi-coloured uniform for an IPL franchise?

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s inaugural season in the IPL was a disaster. Their team was loaded with classical players who were yet to adapt to the demands of T20 cricket. One of those classical players selected was Wasim Jaffer.

Jaffer played a total of eight IPL matches in first two seasons (2008-09). He scored a half-century in his second game as he mustered 50(33) against Chennai Super Kings. He scored 8(9) in his last game against Rajasthan Royals and he never played in the IPL again. His record stands at 130 runs from eight matches with a strike rate of 107.

#4 Kemar Roach

Kemar Roach

The West Indians have always been of tremendous demand in the IPL. The Caribbean superstars not only light up the atmosphere with their explosive cricketing skills but dazzle the audiences with their glamour and charisma. While Windies batsmen and all-rounders have achieved great fame in the IPL, their fast bowlers have not been able to generate a similar buzz.

Kemar Roach is one such tearaway fast bowler who failed to establish himself in the IPL and soon faded away from the memories. Roach became famous for his raw pace and secured his place on the lists of IPL franchises. In 2010 IPL auction, Chennai Super Kings and Deccan Chargers waged a bidding war to enlist Roach in their team. Deccan Chargers ultimately procured him for 720,000 USD.

Roach, however, was included in the side for only two IPL matches. He was wicketless in both of them (0/32 versus MI and 0/48 versus KKR). The dismal returns terminated the IPL career of Kemar Roach, and he has never played in the tournament again. The 30-year-old will be hoping for another crack at the cash-rich league.

#3 Sridharan Sriram

Sridharan Sriram

The left-arm spinner from Tamil Nadu transformed himself into a doughty left-handed opener. 1999-2000 was Sriram’s prime season as he scored 1075 runs in the Ranji Trophy. Sriram soon received the India call-up but was dropped after modest returns.

By 2007, Sriram was dejected with the system and deflected to the rebel ICL. He was then introduced back in the fold and earned IPL contracts with two teams. In 2010, he played a solitary game for Royal Challengers Bangalore and then represented Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2011. In total, Sriram played only two IPL matches and scored 31 runs from 36 balls that he faced.

Later, Sriram returned in the capacity of a coach. He was the bowling coach of Kings XI Punjab and also did a famous stint as the Spin consultant of the Australian cricket team. He is currently on board with Delhi Capitals coaching staff.

#2 Younis Khan

Younis Khan

The Pakistani players have always been proficient in T20 cricket. Much like their West Indian counterparts, they have brought their own flair and unpredictability in the shorter format of the game. The Pakistani players were allowed to play in only the inaugural season of the IPL and have been denied since due to the political reasons.

Younis Khan is known for his exceptional batting performance at the Test level for Pakistan. However, the batsman was not renowned for his aggressive brand of batting. Thus, it is surprising to find him on the list of IPL players.

Rajasthan Royals in the 2008 season enjoyed the services of two Pakistan cricketers. One was Sohail Tanvir and the other was Younis Khan. Featuring in only one match, Younis made 3 (7) against Kings XI Punjab in a losing cause and was bowled by Irfan Pathan. This proved to be his only connection with the IPL.

#1 Damien Martyn

Damien Martyn

Another name which is hard to associate with the IPL is that of the former Australian batsman Damien Martyn. He first thurst dagger in the Indian hearts with his splendid unbeaten knock of 87 in the 2003 World Cup final. Later, he was a subject of controversy in the 2006 Champions Trophy final.

The dashing right-hander joined the rebel ICL and played in the competition for a while. In 2010, the 38-year old was offered a spot in the IPL as his friend Shane Warne convinced him to take the part in the competition. Hesitant Damien Martyn was bought for $100,000 by the Rajasthan Royals for the third season of the IPL.

Martyn’s actual participation in the IPL lasted for only one match. He played in a match against Royal Challengers Bangalore and was bowled by Praveen Kumar after scoring 19 runs from 24 balls. This was also the last recognized cricket match of Martyn’s career.