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In the early days, international cricket was the lifeblood of the game. National pride would always be at stake when teams battled against each other in any format, whether it be Tests or ODIs.
Back then, rivalries were more often than not, bigger than friendships amongst players of different nations.
Perhaps, the only way for players across countries to bond with each other, was in the English county season when teams would rope in legends to play for them.
For eg. Sir Viv Richards and Sir Ian Botham are two legends who have had a long-lasting friendship courtesy their time at Somerset in the mid-1970s.
However, with the advent of T20 cricket spreading across the world, nearly every player of a cricketing nation has shared the same dressing room with another. The ratio has increased drastically.
During this time, an interesting trend has developed. Players of different nations, who have played for one franchise, have been roped in by another country’s T20 franchise.
Now whether it is a mere coincidence or a well thought out strategy so that managing team dynamics gets simpler, some players rub shoulders with each other as much as their national teammates.
Familiarity seems to be the way forward for teams in the shortest format of the game.
So, taking the IPL 2018 into account, here are seven such pairs of players who will not only play for the same team in this year’s competition but have also played together in the past in another T20 competition.
#1 Chris Gayle and Aaron Finch
The animosity between the West Indians and Australians has been ever since the 1960s and the World Series cricket era when these two teams battled it out for the honour of being called the world’s top cricketing nation.
Chris Gayle is no different, often expressing his dislike for the Aussies and sometimes landing in deep trouble for it.
But there are few exceptions he has made over the years of playing T20 cricket across the globe. One of them happens to be Australian opener, Aaron Finch.
Now, these two openers are swashbuckling and give shivers to many bowlers with their breezy starts.
They also have an appetite for big scores in white-ball cricket, once they are set at the crease.
The similarities don’t end just there. Gayle and Finch made an unlikely opening partnership at the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League in Australia during the 2015-16 season.
Even as the Renegades finished fifth, the duo provided much entertainment to fans at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne.
Both of them ended up as the highest run-getters for the team that year. Gayle’s aggregate was 260 runs at a strike rate of 155, while Finch was impressive with 246 runs in five games at an average of 49 and a strike rate of 143.
Both these men will be teaming up again in the IPL 2018 at the Kings XI Punjab. With Punjab not going all out for overseas players, chances are high that Gayle and Finch would be opening the batting for them as well and fire on all cylinders.
#2 Shane Watson and Sam Billings
The countries of these two cricketers have had the oldest rivalry in the history of the game courtesy the Ashes series. Yet T20 cricket has ensured that bad blood doesn’t spill over otherwise amongst most of the players.
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson played alongside England’s upcoming, young and talented batsman Sam Billings for Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League during the 2016 and 2017 editions.
In fact, one of Billings’ catches while keeping off the bowling of Watson, won him many praises in the 2016 tournament. Islamabad won the title that year.
Watson and Billings may no longer play for Islamabad, but they will get an opportunity to share the same dressing room, at the Chennai Super Kings during the IPL 2018.
Even though these two will have to fight for a place in the playing XI, their presence and experience will make Chennai comfortable in case of players getting injured.
#3 Daniel Christian and Colin Munro
An Aussie and a Kiwi make this list. But this pair played with each other by accident rather than planning.
Colin Munro’s Kiwi teammate and former skipper Brendon McCullum got injured during the Trinbago Knight Riders’ 2017 campaign.
Left with an emergency call to take with few options, the Knight Riders zeroed down upon Daniel Christian to replace McCullum and fly down quickly to Trinidad just ahead of their Caribbean Premier League Qualifier one match.
The move proved to be a fortunate one for Trinbago as Christian and Munro played key roles in the following three games as the side went on to lift the title.
The duo will be back once again, this time in the IPL 2018 with the Delhi Daredevils. Two in-form T20 players is a good sign for another team which would have difficulties in picking overseas players.
#4 Jason Roy and Chris Morris
An unlikely duo also features in this list. It isn’t uncommon for South African players to ply their trade regularly over the years in English county cricket.
Chris Morris followed the trend in 2016, playing for the first time at Surrey in the same year when he was the most expensive overseas player at the IPL auction. Morris replaced Dwayne Bravo, who was headed back home for the Caribbean Premier League.
Morris got a chance to play with the local boy and England’s explosive opening batsman, Jason Roy.
While the South African struggled, Roy was the highest run scorer for Surrey that season with 495 runs in 12 games. Surrey narrowed missed out on the semifinals that year.
These two will get an opportunity to set things right together at the Delhi Daredevils during the IPL 2018.
Morris has been a key member of the Daredevils side since his inception in 2016, while this will be Roy's second IPL team after Gujarat Lions.
#5 Rashid Khan and Billy Stanlake
A bowling pair consisting of an Afghan and Aussie also has a place in this list. Afghanistan’s skilful leg-spinner Rashid Khan is much sought after by many T20 franchises, having the golden arm.
Khan’s value grew leaps and bounds when he was signed by the Adelaide Strikers for the BBL 2017-18 season for more than a million dollars.
The investment paid off massively as he was the highest wicket-taker in the competition, with 18 wickets in 11 matches at an economy rate of just 5.65. This ensured that the Strikers went on to win the championship for the first time ever.
However, he wasn’t lonely on the bowling front. Local talent in the form of pacer Billy Stanlake stood up when needed as well.
Lanky and extremely quick, Stanlake’s 11 wickets in 10 games was also the key to the Strikers’ success. Stanlake already has had IPL experience, playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2017.
This time Khan will welcome Stanlake into the Sunrisers Hyderabad side. Will they feature in another T20 championship winning team? Time will tell.
#6 D’Arcy Short and Jofra Archer
This pair took the Big Bash League 2017-18 by storm. Both the youngsters injected a new lease of life into the Hobart Hurricanes outfit, as their individual performances led the Hurricanes to the final of the competition.
Short opened the batting, making a name for himself with 572 runs in 11 games at a strike rate of a staggering 148.57 and average of 57.32. The Australian was a revelation, with no bowler getting the upper hand on him as such.
However, his efforts were backed by a young West Indian-cum-English all-rounder from Barbados.
Jofra Archer lit up the competition with his fielding and bowling, picking up as many as 16 wickets in 12 games, being a constant in the side.
It was through this season that Archer made headlines across the cricketing world and made himself noticed by many IPL franchises.
So it comes as no surprise that Rajasthan Royals took the package deal, bidding successfully for both Short and Archer in the IPL auction.
While Archer is an uncertainty to play this year due to a side strain, the Royals fans would be hoping for his availability. Short opening the batting with say a Rahane, would be incredible to watch surely.
#7 Cameron Delport and Javon Searles
These two might not be star names by any stretch of the imagination, yet their story is quite interesting for them to make it on this list.
The South African left-handed batsman, Cameron Delport has quietly gone about making a name for himself as a T20 globetrotter.
He starred in the Dhaka Dynamites’ title win in the Bangladesh Premier League last season. A few months back, Leicestershire had him to thank as his 59-ball 109 led them to only their second quarterfinal of the Natwest T20 Blast in 11 seasons.
On the other hand, Javon Searles is a West Indies all-rounder. The reason Delport’s name has been taken with Searles is that these two were co-incidentally a huge part of the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel team that won the Caribbean Premier League in 2015.
That was the first season when Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla, owners of Kolkata Knight Riders, bought a 50% stake in the team. Since then, it has been named Trinbago Knight Riders.
Searles also featured in the Knight Riders’ 2017 title win. Hence, Delport and Searles are set to have a happy reunion at KKR out of all franchises, in the IPL 2018.
It is likely that they would get to play more games than expected, due to injuries to some star overseas players.
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