IPL: 5 Pakistan players who were once a part of the IPL

Indian Premier League(IPL) has played a great influence in lives of many who have looked at it as an opportunity to shape their dwindling careers. The popularity of the league in past ten years have managed to grab enough eyeballs, as performances at this stage have been given due recognition to proceed to the next stage.

A league that boasts of featuring the best in the business, has seen many overseas players trying to get an opportunity to make a cut to this lucrative league. However, players from the arch-rival nation don’t have the luxury to feature in the world’s most lucrative T20 league ever since the political tensions between the two nations have forced an end to the cricketing ties.

Here we take a look at some of those Pakistani players who were once a part of the IPL in the inaugural edition in 2008:

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#1 Shoaib Malik

One of the most loved Pakistani cricketers in this country, he was a part of the Delhi Daredevils in the inaugural edition of the league. Married to India’s very own Tennis star Sania Mirza, Shoaib Malik has been a familiar figure for the people of India. Although, his stint for Delhi side didn’t pan out in the best possible ways.

In his seven outings for Delhi, he could only muster 52 runs with a paltry average of 13. He didn’t enjoy the best of his days at Delhi even with the ball, claiming just two wickets for his side. Being one of the most popular overseas players at that time, Malik did have a great time for the course of two-months as Delhi even managed to pay their way to the final four before losing out to the eventual champions in Rajasthan Royals.

#2 Misbah-ul-Haq

The Pakistan legend rose to the fame in international cricket when he powered his side against India in the World T20 Final in 2007 before making a mess of the entire plot in his attempt to scoop the ball over fine leg. It was this hit, that still keeps him alive in the minds of many Indians.

However, on the back of some of his T20 performances in the past year, Misbah was roped in by RCB with a lot of hope to deliver the goods for the franchise. But his failure with the bat saw an early end to his ties with the franchise as only played eight games to score 117 runs with an average of 17. Later, he went onto carrying the burden of his nation till he decided to hang his boots but couldn’t really find his feet in the limited overs format.

#3 Sohail Tanvir

He was one of the most successful Pakistani cricketers in his maiden stint at the IPL in 2008. A left-arm medium fast bowler, who was a reliable customer in this form of the game, Tanvir was bought by Rajasthan Royals in their bid to strengthen their fast bowling prowess. He did wonders for his team as he managed to bag 22 wickets in the 11 matches that he featured at a decent economy of 6.46 runs per over.

He was one of the major surprises in the inaugural edition and played a major part in aiding his team to the glory by earning the Purple cap for most wickets in the season. His spell of 6/14 is still the best bowling figure in the history of IPL. His last ball four to empower his side to victory in the final is etched in the memories of many cricket followers.

#4 Shoaib Akhtar

One of the most controversial figures of his time, Shoaib Akhtar induced fear in the opposition camp to wreak havoc with his fast and fiery bowling spells. He has bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders in his only stint at the IPL in 2008. The ‘Rawalpindi Express’, as he is usually called as, was ecstatic to be a part of his friend’s team, Shah Rukh Khan.

He did justice to his tag when he played his debut game for Kolkata as he went through the batting lineup of Delhi Daredevils to bag a 4-for in his spell of just three overs. However, he couldn’t continue his rich vein of form as injuries saw him on the sidelines. He could only play 3 matches in the league to register just four wickets to his name.

#5 Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi has been the biggest T20 stars of his time. Known as the “Boom-Boom’, Afridi took Pakistan to brush aside the disappointment in 2007 to lift T20 world cup in 2009 in England. In his only stint at IPL, he was a part of the Deccan Chargers, a team that finished last in the league table.

The Pakistani legend played the bulk of the matches but was a disappointment with the bat as he could only score 81 runs in his 10 outings with an average nearing paltry 10. He did compensate with his bowling to finish with nine wickets in the season but still wasn’t the best of his efforts that could have done wonders for his franchise.