IPL: 5 famous players you didn't know were once a part of Kochi Tuskers Kerala

So far, thirteen franchises have played in the cash-rich Indian Premier League, of which five are now defunct. Out of these five franchises, the Deccan Chargers are the most successful with one title and one knockout stage finish. The Kochi Tuskers Kerala were one of the five franchises which are no longer in the IPL fraternity.

They hold the dubious record of being the only side to have played just one IPL season- the 2011 IPL after which they were terminated by the BCCI. Several international cricket stars played or were a part of the Kochi franchise.

Let us now look at five famous players you might not know were in the Kochi Tuskers side in the 2011 IPL.

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#1 Steve Smith

Tha Australian batsman has played for five different franchises in the IPL- the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Pune Warriors India, Rajasthan Royals, and Rising Pune Supergiant.

One of the finest batsmen of this generation, Smith was bought by the Kochi Tuskers Kerela in the 2011 IPL auctions at his base price of $200,000. However, he had a forgettable season with Kochi as he did not get an opportunity to don the Orange jersey for the entire fourth season.

Unfortunately, the talented batsman spent even his first ever IPL stint with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (2010) on the bench after being signed as a replacement to the injured New Zealand all-rounder, Jesse Ryder.

After the termination of the Kochi franchise, he went into the 2012 IPL auctions where he found no buyers. But he was later signed by the now-defunct Pune Warriors India as a replacement to the injured Australian all-rounder, Mitchell Marsh.

#2) Owais Shaw

Owais Shaw

The Karachi-born former English batsman has represented four different franchises in the IPL- the Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, and Rajasthan Royals. Shaw was bought by the Kochi franchise at the 2011 IPL auctions for his base price of $200,000. Out of the fourteen league matches, the middle order batsman played just three, in which he managed 26 runs.

Shaw, who has played for several teams in the Big Bash League, Bangladesh Premier League, and English county, had a forgettable stint with the Kerala side. After the franchise was terminated, he moved to the Rajasthan Royals in the 2012 IPL, where he was successful, scoring 340 runs in 13 games.

#3) VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman

Arguably one of the finest batsmen India has ever produced, Laxman played four seasons of IPL representing two franchises. He played for the now-defunct, Deccan Chargers in the first three editions of the IPL (2008-2010) and was their skipper in the inaugural edition. After his stint with the Hyderabad franchise, he moved to the Kochi Tuskers Kerala after being bought for $400,000 at the 2011 IPL auctions.

Unfortunately, Laxman had a forgettable stint with Kochi scoring 44 runs in three matches he played for the franchise. The 2011 IPL was his last ever season in the cash-rich league as he found no buyers in the 2012 auctions. He was later appointed as the mentor of the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013.

#4) Kedar Jadhav

Kedar Jadhav

The Maharashtra all-rounder has represented four different franchises in the IPL so far- the Delhi Daredevils, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Chennai Super Kings. After a poor stint with Delhi in 2010, he was released by them prior to the 2011 IPL auctions where he was bought by the Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

Jadhav played just six matches out of the fourteen league games for Kochi, in which he managed just 18 runs. After his poor stint with Kochi, he moved to the Delhi Daredevils in 2013, due to the franchise's termination from the IPL.

#5) Thisara Perera

Thisara Perera

The Sri Lankan all-rounder is one of the very few players to have represented more than five different IPL franchises- the Chennai Super Kings, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kings XI Punjab, and Rising Pune Supergiant.

After being a part of the title-winning Chennai Super Kings squad in the 2010 season, he moved to the Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011 for the fourth edition of the IPL. He was bought by the Kochi franchise for $80,000 at the 2011 IPL auctions.

Out of the fourteen league games, Perera played just four, scoring 23 runs and picking up two wickets. He did not quite utilise the opportunity he got to prove his all-round abilities. After his poor stint with Kochi, he moved to the Mumbai Indians the following year due to the termination of the franchise by the BCCI in September 2011.