IPL: 5 cricketers who were only part of first edition
These five legendary players never featured in the cash-rich league again after the inaugural IPL season in 2008.
1. Shoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar was known for his gruesome pace bowling in the international circuit. With his blazing speed and disguised variations, he bagged a lot of matches for Pakistan. In the maiden IPL season, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fetched the fiery speedster to lead their pace attack.
In the 35th IPL game, the star Pakistan bowler got inducted into KKR’s playing XI against Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). Playing his debut match, Akhtar looked confident and helped Knight Riders to defend a low score of 133 with his ferocious bowling. Claiming a four-wicket haul in his three-over spell, Akhtar emerged as the Player of the Match in KKR’s 23-run triumph.
The Pakistan stalwart played only three games in the competition and got success in grabbing five wickets at an economy of 7.71. Following the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, relations between India and Mumbai turned sour which resulted in Pakistan players’ entry being banned in the cash-rich league.
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