T20 cricket has constantly been on the rise. In fact, with the advent and evolution of T20 cricket, there are multiple leagues that are running all across the world. It was in 2007 that the inaugural World T20 was launched and since then the shortest format hasn’t looked back. The Indian Premier League (IPL) arrived in 2008 and a lot of other big leagues around the followed.

Thus, big players from all across the globe take part in these T20 leagues. However, with the hectic international schedule, the participation of the big stars is limited. But there are certain players who have chosen their franchise over the national team.

These are players who have snubbed national call-ups or advice from the national set-up to play for their respective franchises. Thus, here we look at five such cricketers who preferred franchise cricket over their national team.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-340582" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Chris-Gayle-2.jpg" alt="Chris Gayle" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-340582" class="wp-caption-text">Chris Gayle. (Photo Source: IANS)</figcaption>

There may not be a bigger T20 star than Chris Gayle in the history of the game. The Universe Boss has certainly played a huge role in the way T20 cricket has shaped up over the last decade or so. He has scored a staggering number of runs (over 13,000) in the shortest format. It may not be wrong to term him as the face of T20 cricket in the present day and age.

However, there have been multiple times in his career when he has opted to play franchise cricket in T20 leagues rather than turn out to play for West Indies. There were quite a few problems between Gayle and the West Indies Cricket Board. But the Jamaican opener has snubbed the national side on multiple occasions.

Even after all the rift with the board has been put to rest, he is picking and choosing the tournaments he wants to play for the Windies. At the moment, Gayle made himself unavailable for the T20I series against India and is currently leading the Vancouver Knights in the Global T20 Canada.

Hence, Gayle has been one of the best T20 players the world has seen but he has also left behind his national side for T20 leagues around the world and is still doing that.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-337146" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Andre-Russell-bowling.jpg" alt="Andre Russell, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL, IPL 2019" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-337146" class="wp-caption-text">Andre Russell. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS)</figcaption>

Andre Russell might be one of the hardest hitters of the cricket ball in the world at the moment. The West Indian all-rounder has been striking the ball really well in the recent past. However, constant injuries have kept him in and out of action.

Russell is one of the most genuine all-rounders in world cricket. He can walk into any side purely based on any one of his skills (batting or bowling). His ability to hit sixes at will makes him a red-hot proposition in T20 cricket. Thus, the 31-year-old all-rounder is one of the most-wanted cricketers in the shortest format.

Thus, he constantly features in multiple T20 leagues around the world. However, some of them have come at the expense of the national team as well. Russell has snubbed Windies cricket on more than one occasion to play for franchise cricket. He did that recently as well. The all-rounder deemed himself unfit for the T20I series against India and is currently playing in the Global T20 Canada.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-332452" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/AB-de-Villiers-1.jpg" alt="AB de Villiers" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-332452" class="wp-caption-text">AB de Villiers. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

AB de Villiers is a superstar, there is no doubt about that. He will go down as one of the most versatile and dynamic batsmen in the history of the game. Very few players can adapt and adjust to different situations and conditions as well as de Villiers can. He has certainly established a legacy in South African cricket.

However, he has also left a small dark spot. There have been times when de Villiers has opted to play for franchises around the world at the expense of South Africa. He did not play Test cricket for almost two years as he was on a sabbatical. However, during that period, he did turn up for a few T20 leagues around the world which raised quite a few eyebrows.

In May 2018, he shocked the world when he announced his retirement from international cricket. However, post that, he has constantly featured in franchise cricket and has been associated with T20 leagues all around the world. Thus, the South African star has left a small dark spot in what has been a glorious career.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-462774" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma-1.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-462774" class="wp-caption-text">Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)</figcaption>

This might be a surprising name on the list. It all started during the business end of Indian Premier League 2020. Rohit Sharma&#8217;s franchise was sitting comfortably on top of the points table. Sharma missed a few games before the last league game of the tournament due to a hamstring injury. He was excluded from Indian squads for the Australia tour.

However, to everyone&#8217;s surprise, Rohit came out to lead his team in the final league game of his team. He wasn&#8217;t fully fit clearly by the looks. They went on to lose that game against SRH. But, Rohit&#8217;s act raised many eyebrows. He went on to play Qualifier 1 and Final as well with the injury. With Rohit doing well in the final, selectors added him to the Test team for the Australia tour.

Rohit trained in NCA to get ready in time for the Australia Test series, but his hamstring injury aggravated by that time and he missed the flight to Down Under. He got ruled out of the first two Tests alongside pacer Ishant Sharma. Had Rohit pulled out of IPL 2020, he might have got a chance to represent the Indian team in the Australia series.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-140693" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mitchell-McCleneghan.jpg" alt="Mitchell McClenaghan of Mumbai Indians" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-140693" class="wp-caption-text">Mitchell McClenaghan of Mumbai Indians. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Mitchell McClenaghan is another familiar face across T20 leagues around the world. He is an aggressive bowler who runs in hard and gives it everything. However, he last donned the New Zealand colours back in 2016. Be it ODIs or T20Is, it was in early 2016 that McClenaghan last featured for New Zealand in an international game.

The left-arm pacer has been around since 2007. However, he made his international debut in 2012. However, he soon climbed up the ladder and made a name for himself as a T20 bowler. Thus, in 2017, he snubbed a national contract in order to play for multiple T20 leagues around the world.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) did grant him his request. He could still be considered for selection but the selectors decided not to go that way. Thus, McClenaghan might’ve featured in almost every T20 league across the world but it has come after choosing franchise cricket over national duty.

<p>T20 cricket has constantly been on the rise. In fact, with the advent and evolution of T20 cricket, there are multiple leagues that are running all across the world. It was in 2007 that the inaugural World T20 was launched and since then the shortest format hasn’t looked back. The Indian Premier League (IPL) arrived in 2008 and a lot of other big leagues around the followed.</p>
<p>Thus, big players from all across the globe take part in these T20 leagues. However, with the hectic international schedule, the participation of the big stars is limited. But there are certain players who have chosen their franchise over the national team.</p>
<p>These are players who have snubbed national call-ups or advice from the national set-up to play for their respective franchises. Thus, here we look at five such cricketers who preferred franchise cricket over their national team.</p>
<h3><strong>1. Chris Gayle</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_340582" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-340582" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-340582" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Chris-Gayle-2.jpg" alt="Chris Gayle" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-340582" class="wp-caption-text">Chris Gayle. (Photo Source: IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>There may not be a bigger T20 star than&nbsp;Chris Gayle&nbsp;in the history of the game. The Universe Boss has certainly played a huge role in the way T20 cricket has shaped up over the last decade or so. He has scored a staggering number of runs (over 13,000) in the shortest format. It may not be wrong to term him as the face of T20 cricket in the present day and age.</p>
<p>However, there have been multiple times in his career when he has opted to play franchise cricket in T20 leagues rather than turn out to play for West Indies. There were quite a few problems between Gayle and the West Indies Cricket Board. But the Jamaican opener has snubbed the national side on multiple occasions.</p>
<p>Even after all the rift with the board has been put to rest, he is picking and choosing the tournaments he wants to play for the Windies. At the moment, Gayle made himself unavailable for the T20I series against India and is currently leading the Vancouver Knights in the Global T20 Canada.</p>
<p>Hence, Gayle has been one of the best T20 players the world has seen but he has also left behind his national side for T20 leagues around the world and is still doing that.</p>
<h3>2. Andre Russell</h3>
<figure id="attachment_337146" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-337146" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-337146" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Andre-Russell-bowling.jpg" alt="Andre Russell, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL, IPL 2019" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-337146" class="wp-caption-text">Andre Russell. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Andre Russell might be one of the hardest hitters of the cricket ball in the world at the moment. The West Indian all-rounder has been striking the ball really well in the recent past. However, constant injuries have kept him in and out of action.</p>
<p>Russell is one of the most genuine all-rounders in world cricket. He can walk into any side purely based on any one of his skills (batting or bowling). His ability to hit sixes at will makes him a red-hot proposition in T20 cricket. Thus, the 31-year-old all-rounder is one of the most-wanted cricketers in the shortest format.</p>
<p>Thus, he constantly features in multiple T20 leagues around the world. However, some of them have come at the expense of the national team as well. Russell has snubbed Windies cricket on more than one occasion to play for franchise cricket. He did that recently as well. The all-rounder deemed himself unfit for the T20I series against India and is currently playing in the Global T20 Canada.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>3. AB de Villiers</h3>
<figure id="attachment_332452" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-332452" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-332452" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/AB-de-Villiers-1.jpg" alt="AB de Villiers" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-332452" class="wp-caption-text">AB de Villiers. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>AB de Villiers is a superstar, there is no doubt about that. He will go down as one of the most versatile and dynamic batsmen in the history of the game. Very few players can adapt and adjust to different situations and conditions as well as de Villiers can. He has certainly established a legacy in South African cricket.</p>
<p>However, he has also left a small dark spot. There have been times when de Villiers has opted to play for franchises around the world at the expense of South Africa. He did not play Test cricket for almost two years as he was on a sabbatical. However, during that period, he did turn up for a few T20 leagues around the world which raised quite a few eyebrows.</p>
<p>In May 2018, he shocked the world when he announced his retirement from international cricket. However, post that, he has constantly featured in franchise cricket and has been associated with T20 leagues all around the world. Thus, the South African star has left a small dark spot in what has been a glorious career.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>4. Rohit Sharma</h3>
<figure id="attachment_462774" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-462774" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-462774" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma-1.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-462774" class="wp-caption-text">Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>This might be a surprising name on the list. It all started during the business end of Indian Premier League 2020. Rohit Sharma’s franchise was sitting comfortably on top of the points table. Sharma missed a few games before the last league game of the tournament due to a hamstring injury. He was excluded from Indian squads for the Australia tour.</p>
<p>However, to everyone’s surprise, Rohit came out to lead his team in the final league game of his team. He wasn’t fully fit clearly by the looks. They went on to lose that game against SRH. But, Rohit’s act raised many eyebrows. He went on to play Qualifier 1 and Final as well with the injury. With Rohit doing well in the final, selectors added him to the Test team for the Australia tour.</p>
<p>Rohit trained in NCA to get ready in time for the Australia Test series, but his hamstring injury aggravated by that time and he missed the flight to Down Under. He got ruled out of the first two Tests alongside pacer Ishant Sharma. Had Rohit pulled out of IPL 2020, he might have got a chance to represent the Indian team in the Australia series.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>5. Mitchell McClenaghan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_140693" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-140693" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-140693" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mitchell-McCleneghan.jpg" alt="Mitchell McClenaghan of Mumbai Indians" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-140693" class="wp-caption-text">Mitchell McClenaghan of Mumbai Indians. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Mitchell McClenaghan is another familiar face across T20 leagues around the world. He is an aggressive bowler who runs in hard and gives it everything. However, he last donned the New Zealand colours back in 2016. Be it ODIs or T20Is, it was in early 2016 that McClenaghan last featured for New Zealand in an international game.</p>
<p>The left-arm pacer has been around since 2007. However, he made his international debut in 2012. However, he soon climbed up the ladder and made a name for himself as a T20 bowler. Thus, in 2017, he snubbed a national contract in order to play for multiple T20 leagues around the world.</p>
<p>New Zealand Cricket (NZC) did grant him his request. He could still be considered for selection but the selectors decided not to go that way. Thus, McClenaghan might’ve featured in almost every T20 league across the world but it has come after choosing franchise cricket over national duty.</p>

<p>T20 cricket has constantly been on the rise. In fact, with the advent and evolution of T20 cricket, there are multiple leagues that are running all across the world. It was in 2007 that the inaugural World T20 was launched and since then the shortest format hasn’t looked back. The Indian Premier League (IPL) arrived in 2008 and a lot of other big leagues around the followed.</p>
<p>Thus, big players from all across the globe take part in these T20 leagues. However, with the hectic international schedule, the participation of the big stars is limited. But there are certain players who have chosen their franchise over the national team.</p>
<p>These are players who have snubbed national call-ups or advice from the national set-up to play for their respective franchises. Thus, here we look at five such cricketers who preferred franchise cricket over their national team.</p>
<h3><strong>1. Chris Gayle</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_340582" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-340582" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-340582" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Chris-Gayle-2.jpg" alt="Chris Gayle" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-340582" class="wp-caption-text">Chris Gayle. (Photo Source: IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>There may not be a bigger T20 star than Chris Gayle in the history of the game. The Universe Boss has certainly played a huge role in the way T20 cricket has shaped up over the last decade or so. He has scored a staggering number of runs (over 13,000) in the shortest format. It may not be wrong to term him as the face of T20 cricket in the present day and age.</p>
<p>However, there have been multiple times in his career when he has opted to play franchise cricket in T20 leagues rather than turn out to play for West Indies. There were quite a few problems between Gayle and the West Indies Cricket Board. But the Jamaican opener has snubbed the national side on multiple occasions.</p>
<p>Even after all the rift with the board has been put to rest, he is picking and choosing the tournaments he wants to play for the Windies. At the moment, Gayle made himself unavailable for the T20I series against India and is currently leading the Vancouver Knights in the Global T20 Canada.</p>
<p>Hence, Gayle has been one of the best T20 players the world has seen but he has also left behind his national side for T20 leagues around the world and is still doing that.</p>
<h3>2. Andre Russell</h3>
<figure id="attachment_337146" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-337146" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-337146" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Andre-Russell-bowling.jpg" alt="Andre Russell, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL, IPL 2019" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-337146" class="wp-caption-text">Andre Russell. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Andre Russell might be one of the hardest hitters of the cricket ball in the world at the moment. The West Indian all-rounder has been striking the ball really well in the recent past. However, constant injuries have kept him in and out of action.</p>
<p>Russell is one of the most genuine all-rounders in world cricket. He can walk into any side purely based on any one of his skills (batting or bowling). His ability to hit sixes at will makes him a red-hot proposition in T20 cricket. Thus, the 31-year-old all-rounder is one of the most-wanted cricketers in the shortest format.</p>
<p>Thus, he constantly features in multiple T20 leagues around the world. However, some of them have come at the expense of the national team as well. Russell has snubbed Windies cricket on more than one occasion to play for franchise cricket. He did that recently as well. The all-rounder deemed himself unfit for the T20I series against India and is currently playing in the Global T20 Canada.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>3. AB de Villiers</h3>
<figure id="attachment_332452" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-332452" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-332452" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/AB-de-Villiers-1.jpg" alt="AB de Villiers" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-332452" class="wp-caption-text">AB de Villiers. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>AB de Villiers is a superstar, there is no doubt about that. He will go down as one of the most versatile and dynamic batsmen in the history of the game. Very few players can adapt and adjust to different situations and conditions as well as de Villiers can. He has certainly established a legacy in South African cricket.</p>
<p>However, he has also left a small dark spot. There have been times when de Villiers has opted to play for franchises around the world at the expense of South Africa. He did not play Test cricket for almost two years as he was on a sabbatical. However, during that period, he did turn up for a few T20 leagues around the world which raised quite a few eyebrows.</p>
<p>In May 2018, he shocked the world when he announced his retirement from international cricket. However, post that, he has constantly featured in franchise cricket and has been associated with T20 leagues all around the world. Thus, the South African star has left a small dark spot in what has been a glorious career.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>4. Rohit Sharma</h3>
<figure id="attachment_462774" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-462774" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-462774" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rohit-Sharma-1.jpg" alt="Rohit Sharma" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-462774" class="wp-caption-text">Rohit Sharma. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>This might be a surprising name on the list. It all started during the business end of Indian Premier League 2020. Rohit Sharma&#8217;s franchise was sitting comfortably on top of the points table. Sharma missed a few games before the last league game of the tournament due to a hamstring injury. He was excluded from Indian squads for the Australia tour.</p>
<p>However, to everyone&#8217;s surprise, Rohit came out to lead his team in the final league game of his team. He wasn&#8217;t fully fit clearly by the looks. They went on to lose that game against SRH. But, Rohit&#8217;s act raised many eyebrows. He went on to play Qualifier 1 and Final as well with the injury. With Rohit doing well in the final, selectors added him to the Test team for the Australia tour.</p>
<p>Rohit trained in NCA to get ready in time for the Australia Test series, but his hamstring injury aggravated by that time and he missed the flight to Down Under. He got ruled out of the first two Tests alongside pacer Ishant Sharma. Had Rohit pulled out of IPL 2020, he might have got a chance to represent the Indian team in the Australia series.</p>
<p></p>
<h3>5. Mitchell McClenaghan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_140693" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-140693" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-140693" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Mitchell-McCleneghan.jpg" alt="Mitchell McClenaghan of Mumbai Indians" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-140693" class="wp-caption-text">Mitchell McClenaghan of Mumbai Indians. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Mitchell McClenaghan is another familiar face across T20 leagues around the world. He is an aggressive bowler who runs in hard and gives it everything. However, he last donned the New Zealand colours back in 2016. Be it ODIs or T20Is, it was in early 2016 that McClenaghan last featured for New Zealand in an international game.</p>
<p>The left-arm pacer has been around since 2007. However, he made his international debut in 2012. However, he soon climbed up the ladder and made a name for himself as a T20 bowler. Thus, in 2017, he snubbed a national contract in order to play for multiple T20 leagues around the world.</p>
<p>New Zealand Cricket (NZC) did grant him his request. He could still be considered for selection but the selectors decided not to go that way. Thus, McClenaghan might’ve featured in almost every T20 league across the world but it has come after choosing franchise cricket over national duty.</p>

These players kept their franchise teams ahead of national sides.

5 cricketers who preferred franchise cricket over national team

Thus, here we look at five such cricketers who preferred franchise cricket over their national team. These are players who have snubbed national call-ups