The IPL is the biggest T20 league on earth at the moment, having a fan following in millions. The tournament began in 2008, and since then, many legends have been a part of the IPL. Quite a few world-class openers have opened the innings in the league.
Some great players like Chris Gayle, Sachin Tendulkar, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and others did an excellent job as openers for their franchises. However, the following five unlikely players also once opened the innings in a surprising move.
1. Praveen Kumar opened the innings for Royal Challengers Bangalore
Former Indian fast bowler Praveen Kumar played as an opener in two games for the Royal Challengers Bangalore team. He managed only six runs at a strike rate of 75, with his batting average being 3.
2. Jofra Archer opened the innings for Rajasthan Royals
Jofra Archer won the IPL 2020 MVP award. Two seasons before that, he played as an opener for the Rajasthan Royals but got out for a duck in a match against RCB.
3. James Franklin
Former New Zealand all-rounder James Franklin primarily played as a finisher, but he opened six times for Mumbai Indians. The Kiwi amassed 134 runs, with his highest score being 79.
4. Washington Sundar
Washington Sundar has played one match as an opener in his IPL. It happened last year when he scored 10 runs for RCB against the Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Devdutt Padikkal was the regular opener for RCB, but he was unavailable because of a positive COVID test. In his absence, Sundar opened with captain Virat Kohli.
5. Ravichandran Ashwin
Another Tamil Nadu-based all-rounder to feature on the list is Ravichandran Ashwin. The right-arm off-spinner started the innings in an IPL 2013 match for the Chennai Super Kings. His opening partner was Mr. Cricket, Michael Hussey. Playing against Kolkata Knight Riders, Ashwin scored 11 runs for his team.
