It is the fourteenth edition of IPL happening in 2021, and so far, around 600 cricketers have played a minimum of one game in the competition. Considering the quickness of the proceedings in the tournament, it is not a surprise if a player goes unnoticed, although he has played a game or two. In this article, we take a look at five players you might not know once played in the IPL.
1) Younis Khan – Rajasthan Royals (2008)
IPL Stats: Matches – 1 || Runs – 3 || Average – 3Â
At the IPL 2008 auctions, Rajasthan Royals hired the services of Pakistan batsman Younis Khan for $225000. The only Pakistan batsman to score more than 10000 Test runs, Younis was the captain when Pakistan won the World T20 in 2009.
Although he played 25 T20Is, Younis was never known to be a reliable batsman in the format. The proof was his underwhelming T20I average of 22.10 and strike rate of 121.4. Nevertheless, the former coach and captain of Pakistan participated in one game in IPL 2008, the only season in which Pakistanis played. It was against Punjab but Younis could not impact the game much with just three runs coming off his bat.
2) Darren Lehmann – Rajasthan Royals (2008)
IPL Stats: Matches – 2 || Runs – 18 || Average – 9
Although he retired from international cricket in 2007, Darren Lehmann signed up to play IPL in 2008. Rajasthan Royals picked the multiple World Cup winner but could not offer him much game time.
The left-handed batsman played two games, against Delhi and Punjab, and was able to contribute just a total of 18 runs. RR won the season, but released the Aussie. Lehmann then took up coaching and led Deccan Chargers to its first title in 2009. Later, the former player had coaching stints at Punjab and for Australia.
3) Sanjay Bangar – Deccan Chargers (2008) and Kolkata Knight Riders (2009)
IPL Stats: Matches – 12 || Runs – 49 || Average – 7 || Wickets – 4
Sanjay Bangar is one of the players you might not know once played in the IPL. He played 12 Tests and 15 ODIs for the country, but he retired as one of the greatest all-rounders in the Ranji Trophy. He scored more than 6000 runs while also picking up over 200 wickets in the competition. After retirement, Bangar has held coaching posts in Team India, Kings XI Punjab and is currently at RCB.
Interestingly, the all-rounder has also played in IPL. Across the first two seasons, he played a total of 12 games, but could not set the stage on fire. The player could not make a return to the competition in a playing capacity after this brief stint.
4) Tim Paine – Pune Warriors (2011)
IPL Stats: Matches – 2 || Runs – 10 || Average – 5
Current Test captain of Australia, Tim Paine, is one of the players you might not know once played in the IPL. Considering he has a terrible T20I record of scoring just 82 runs in 12 games at an average of 10.25, it is surprising that the wicket-keeper batsman has played in IPL.
It was in 2011 that Paine represented the new franchise Pune Warriors. He opened the batting for two games against RCB and Mumbai Indians, but scored only a total of 10 runs. He never played again in IPL.
5) Sridharan Sriram – Royal Challengers Bangalore (2010) and Delhi Daredevils (2011)
IPL Stats: Matches – 2 || Runs – 31 || Average – 15.50
A prolific run-scorer in domestic cricket, Sridharan Sriram played 8 ODIs for India. However, he joined the Indian Cricket League and lost out on a few opportunities. After accepting BCCI’s amnesty offer, Sriram became eligible to play in IPL. He was picked up by RCB, for whom he played one encounter. A year later, the all-rounder turned up again, but for Delhi this time.
The player could not get an IPL opportunity later on, but he became an in-demand coach. Sriram helped Australia play spin and did quite well in his job. He currently holds a position in the management of RCB as the batting and the spin-bowling coach.
