5 uncapped overseas players who were surprisingly a part of IPL once

Foreign players are the backbone of any IPL team. Since every team is allowed to play only four foreigners in the playing XI, the teams make sure that they hire the services of the best in the business.

While picking foreign players, franchises generally go for those who have given stellar international performances and hence the uncapped foreign players are usually ignored. Domestic performances of foreign players are generally not looked at by the franchises while picking players.

However, there have been some lucky ones, who have earned surprise call-ups in the IPL without having played international cricket. Let us take a look at 5 uncapped overseas players who were a part of the IPL once.

---

#5 Dominic Thornely

Dominic Thornely played a lone season for the Mumbai Indians in 2008

The New South Wales batsman was picked by the Mumbai Indians in the inaugural edition of the IPL. Thornely had not played a single international match before making his IPL debut.

He played six matches for the Mumbai Indians in 2008 season and failed miserably with the bat. Throughout the season he could score only 39 runs at a poor strike rate of 73. Considering his poor form, he was not picked by any of the franchises in the coming editions of the IPL.

Thornely has played 80 first-class matches and 90 List-A matches for state team New South Wales. He was also a part of Sydney Sixers' BBL winning squad in 2011-12.

#4 Nathan Rimmington

Nathan Rimmington was picked by the Kings XI Punjab in 2011

The fast bowler from Queensland was surprisingly picked up by the Kings XI Punjab in the 2011 edition of the IPL and played only one game for the men in red and silver.

Rimmington has played a fair bit of First-Class cricket back home but has never gone on to represent Australia. An uncapped foreign player is always an interesting choice in the IPL and Kings XI Punjab did not sign him again for further editions of the tournament.

Despite spending years in the domestic circuit, Rimmington never got a look-in in the Australian team. Rimmington too has a wealth of experience in BBL and has had several stints with some English County teams as well.

#3 Davy Jacobs

Davy Jacobs' CLT20 performances were instrumental in gaining an IPL spot

Davy Jacobs shot into limelight after blistering performances in the Champions League T20 2010 for his home team Warriors. His good show helped him to secure a deal with the Mumbai Indians in the 2011 edition of the IPL.

However, he could not live up to the expectations and was a failure. In seven IPL matches, he managed just 92 runs at a very mediocre average of 13. Jacobs never got a chance to play for South Africa, even though many believe he was a player of high calibre.

Jacobs also played the Caribbean Premier League in 2013. He announced his retirement from all formats of the game in 2015 and has taken up coaching since then.

#2 Lee Carseldine

Lee Carseldine played the second edition of the IPL in South Africa

Lee Carseldine, a left-handed batsman from Australia, was a part of the Rajasthan Royals team in 2009.

Carseldine enjoyed his time in the IPL and scored 81 runs from five games at a strike rate of around 120. He never went on to don international colours in his career despite playing more than 100 domestic matches for his state team.

Carseldine played first-class cricket for 13 years from 1998 to 2011. He has also played several other T20 leagues including the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and the Big Bash League. Post-retirement, Carseldine was a participant in the reality game show 'Australian Survivor'.

#1 Aiden Blizzard

Aiden Blizzard played a key role for the MI in CLT20 2011

The Victorian opener was picked by Mumbai Indians in the fourth edition of the IPL in 2011. He opened alongside Sachin Tendulkar in latter half of that season.

In seven matches for MI, he scored 120 runs at a strike rate of 120 and went past the 50-run mark once. He was known to give flying starts and was also a decent fielder in the deep. In the victorious 2011 Champions League T20 campaign, Blizzard played a pivotal role for the Mumbai Indians when some senior players were injured.

He was left out of the squad after 2013 and has not played international cricket as well in his career.