India cricketer Irfan Pathan would play for the Gujarat Lions franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 as he has been roped in by the Gujarat-based franchise as a replacement for the injured all-rounder Dwayne Bravo.
After Dwayne Bravo was ruled out of the tenth edition of the T20 extravaganza due to his ongoing rehabilitation from the hamstring injury that he sustained last December, speculations were rife that the Lions were looking for a like-for-like replacement, and with Irfan Pathan in their midst, the replacement could not have been better.
The pacer last played a competitive cricket match during the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2016-17 for Baroda. He had impressed with both bat and ball and had scored an impressive fifty against Assam.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Pathan said, “I received a call last night from the CEO of the Gujarat Lions and the captain Suresh Raina, and they asked me whether I'm in India or not.
They asked me to stay put, and today confirmed that I am a part of the squad. I'll be joining the squad right away tonight. I'm excited and raring to go. I'm thankful to God for this opportunity.”
The Lions would play their next game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, on April 27. They have had a mixed season so far as they have won 2 and lost 5 of their seven matches. In their last game, they lost to Kings XI Punjab by 26 runs.
It must be reiterated here that during the auctions Pathan went unsold, and had expressed his disappointment through an emotional message that was well received by his fans. Therefore, coming back to the realms of the league must come as a pleasant news to him.
Pathan has 1137 runs from 102 IPL games at an average of 21.86 and a strike rate of 120 and has picked up 80 wickets at an economy rate of 7.84. After having played for the Rising Pune Supergiant in the last season of the league, Pathan didn't attract any buyer during the auctions this season.
As an experienced campaigner, Pathan could prove out to be a vital asset for the Lions who have suffered due to the lack of a genuine all-rounder to fill-in for Bravo's boots. In addition to that, he could also lay a claim to a spot in the Indian cricket team for the upcoming Champions Trophy, although it his highly unlikely that it would happen, as the squads are to be announced in a few days’ time.
Pathan last played international cricket during the ICC World T20 2012, and his last international match was the one against South Africa at the RPS Stadium, Colombo. He has 1544 runs and 173 wickets from 120 ODIs.
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