Five Pakistan-born players who played in IPL after inaugural season

1. Sikandar Raza

Pakistani-origin Zimbabwe player Sikandar Raza debuted in IPL 2023 for Punjab Kings (PBKS). At the 2023 IPL auction, Raza got fetched at his base price of INR 50 lakh by the 2014 IPL runners-up. In Punjab’s initial matches, he struggled to be among the runs and wickets but against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 21st contest of the competition, he showcased his power with the bat, playing a match-winning knock of 57 off 41.

For his sensational performance, he also received the Player of the Match award. Against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 41st game, he again grabbed the attention for taking PBKS home with his match-finishing 13-run innings off just seven deliveries.

In his first IPL season, the Sialkot-born PBKS player racked up 139 runs in seven matches at a fine strike rate of 141.83. With the ball, he could pick up only three wickets in six innings at an expensive economy of 9.91.