IPL is probably the biggest T20 league in the world. Over time we have seen many World-class players have emerged through the IPL. Though BCCI does not allow Indian players to feature in foreign leagues. The IPL has become a foreign players attraction over the years.
Like always, foreign players would be anxiously waiting for the start of this year’s IPL. Players like Pat Cummins have gone for big money in the auction & will be waiting for this year’s season to begin. In the last 12 years of IPL, many seasonal players have featured in the IPL.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular international players who once featured in the IPL:
1. Andrew Flintoff
The former English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff could not live up to the expectations in the IPL. He featured for Chennai Super Kings in the 2009 season in South Africa where had a terrible outing as he only scored 62 runs and picked just 2 wickets.
Regarded as one of the most expensive buys for Chennai, he got injured midway through the tournament and had to fly back to England. As a result, Flintoff could sustain longer as he soon retired from the game.
2. Darren Lehmann
Former Australian all-rounder Darren Lehmann featured for the Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural edition of the IPL. Notably, the Royals emerged as the champions in the very first season of the cash-rich league.
However, after that one season, Lehmann did not feature in the IPL as a player but returned as a coach for Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab franchise later. He has also coached the Australian national team.
3. Shane Bond
Former New Zealand speedster Shane Bond was one of the best fast bowlers of his generation. Bond played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2010 season of the IPL. He had a decent one-year IPL outing as he went on to pick 9 wickets for the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise.
Meanwhile, after his retirement, Bond has been working with Mumbai Indians as their bowling coach. He has done exceedingly well which is evident from Mumbai’s consistent run in the tournament.
4. Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Legendary West Indies batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who is famous for his unusual batting stance once featured for RCB franchise in the year 2009. While the southpaw is known for his unparallel record in Test formats, Chanderpaul also featured in the shorter formats.
He played three matches under Rahul Dravid scoring 25 runs in 3 games for the Royal Challengers. That was the only year Chanderpaul featured in the IPL as he stopped playing T20s soon after.
5. Tim Paine
Australia’s current Test captain Tim Paine played in the 2011 edition of the IPL for Pune Warriors India. He played alongside his countrymen Aaron Finch and Steve Smith in that side.
However, the wicket-keeper didn’t really have the best IPL career as he played just 2 games for Pune in that season. Since then, he has failed to grab an IPL contract.