IPL History: 5 famous cricketers who we may not know once played in the IPL

The Indian Premier League is an incredible amalgamation of skill and expertise. Over the years many players tried their luck in the cash-rich league. While a few cricketers have been responsible for taking the IPL label to a whole new degree, some slumped to live up to their flair.

In this article, we are going to pick a list of five players who belong to that category. But before that, let's review the criteria's used for selecting the players.

1. He should be a successful cricketer in the International format.
2. He should have played less than five matches in the Indian Premier League.
3. He shouldn't be an active player in the IPL.

So, let's begin.

#5 Darren Lehmann (Australia)

Darren Lehman

Darren Lehmann was known for his unorthodox batting style and bizarre bowling action. He was a vital cog in the Australian all-round department during early 2000. Darren Lehman was a member of Australian side when they won the World Cup title in 1999 and 2003.

Owing to his mastery and expertise in the limited overs cricket, Lehman was picked up by Rajasthan Royals in the first edition of the Indian Premier League in 2008. His team was considered as the weakest one in the tournament. But Rajasthan Royals had a great journey in the meet and eventually triumphed in the finals. However, Lehman got only a few opportunities to represent Rajasthan Royals. Out of his limited two matches, the southpaw scored just 18 runs. After such mediocre performances, none of the franchise showed interest in Lehmann. Still, he made a come back in the league as the coach of Deccan Chargers in 2009 where he helped the squad to win the title.

IPL Stats

Matches: 2 Runs: 18 Average: 9 Strike Rate: 100.00 High Score: 17

#4 Damien Martyn (Australia)

Damien Martyn

Damien Martyn was a right-handed batsman. He is considered as one of the most technically sound batsman and an excellent athlete in the field. Nicknamed Marto, Damien Martyn had an excellent stat with the bat and played some crucial knocks for his national side in ODIs. In spite of owning enourmous amount of expertise, Martyn had a hard time with the bat post 2006. His form was in doubt and selectors didn't take a look on him after that.

However, Martyn was picked up by the Rajasthan Royals franchise in 2010. But the Australian failed to utilize the only opportunity he got and had to sit in the dugout throughout the tournament. Even Rajasthan Royals failed to perform well in the tournament and finished 7th on the points table.

Despite having immense talent in his armoury, Damien Martyn belongs to a category of most underrated cricketers in World Cricket.

IPL Stats

Matches: 1 Runs: 19 Average: 19 Strike Rate: 19 High Score: 79.17

#3 Tatenda Taibu (Zimbabwe)

Tatenda Taibu

Tatenda Taibu, a name that most of the 90's kids may not forget. He was an excellent wicket-keeper batsman and belonged to the category of players who were extraordinary in the beginning and failed to maintain the same throughout the career. Seemingly that may be the reason most of the supporters probably have forgotten that he was once a part of the Indian Premier League.

The wicket-keeper batsman was brought by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural season of the IPL. But he had to wait for a long time to get an opportunity to play as the side had a star-studded lineup. Even when he finally got the chance, Taibu disappointed with the bat. The Zimbabwean cricketer scored just 39 runs from his 3 matches and thus wasn't employed by the team next year.

IPL Stats

Matches: 3 Runs: 31 Average: 10.33 Strike Rate: 15 High Score: 119.23

#4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies)

Shivnarine Chanderpaul

An unorthodox batsman from the West Indies, Shivnarine Chanderpaul was an outstanding player with the willow. He is regarded as the greatest batsman after the legendary Brian Lara. The southpaw scored more than 20000 runs in the International cricket. But he wasn't an aggressive batsman and when the Royal Challengers Bangalore purchased him in the inaugural season, many fans raised queries on the selection. Yet, Chanderpaul failed to give an answer to the questions.

Under Rahul Dravid's captaincy, Chanderpaul had a below average tournament. The player who was bought for a whooping $200,000 played just 3 games in the inaugural season of the tournament and scored merely 25 runs for his side. Due to poor showings, Chanderpaul was released from the franchise in the end of that season.

Chanderpaul has not had a great career in the T20 cricket. His unaggressive batting style wasn't a norm of the format.

IPL Stats

Matches: 3 Runs: 25 Average: 8.33 Strike Rate: 16 High Score: 80.65

#1 Andrew Flintoff (England)

Andrew Flintoff

Andrew Flintoff is perhaps one of the most successful all-rounders in the World Cricket. Nicknamed Freddie, Flintoff was equally talented with both the bat and ball. The English all-rounder played 141 ODIs and 79 tests for England. He belongs to one of the rare species of cricketers who can stage aggressive batting and bowl more-than-useful medium pace. Although Flintoff was one of the successful cricketers in the International format, he didn't had a good outing in the Indian Premier League.

Owing to his status of being an all-rounder, Flintoff was picked by the Chennai Super Kings for the second edition of the IPL. The franchise had huge expectations on the English cricketer, but sadly, Flintoff became a futile all-rounder for Chennai. Out of his 3 matches, Flintoff scored just 62 runs. He was also an expensive contender with the ball and conceded almost 9 runs in an over. This was the only season Flintoff played in the IPL and never made a comeback to the tournament.

IPL Stats

Matches: 3 Runs: 62 Average: 31 Strike Rate: 116.98 High Score: 24

Wickets: 2 Economy:9.55