WATCH: Which two batters did Irfan Pathan struggle to bowl to in IPL?

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan picked two batters who were the toughest for him to bowl to in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The cricketer-turned-expert was a part of six teams in the IPL. He played 103 matches, scoring 1,139 runs and taking 80 wickets. Pathan also represented India in 29 Tests, 120 ODIs, and 24 T20Is. He won the T20 World Cup in 2007 and the Champions Trophy in 2013.

He recently answered some interesting questions from fans on his official YouTube channel. One of the fans asked him who was the toughest batter he had bowled to in the IPL. Pathan mentioned the names of former international captains AB de Villiers and MS Dhoni.

Irfan Pathan further recalled how he had dismissed de Villiers in international cricket but couldn't get his wicket in the IPL. Meanwhile, he mentioned Dhoni's ability to capitalise when he missed his yorkers by the slightest of margins.

"There were two batters who I found very tough. One was AB de Villiers. Bowling to him was a very difficult work. He is not a human being, he is on a different level of a human being. I dismissed him in international cricket. It was in Bengaluru, in an India-South Africa match. I could not dismiss him in the IPL. He used to hit pretty badly," Pathan recalled.

"The other guy is Mahendra Singh Dhoni. I got him out at the nets, I got him out in a practice match. I could not get him out in the IPL. I found it tough bowling to him because he could change the game in an instant. He could hit yorkers very well. If I missed the yorker even by a very small margin, he would trouble me a lot. So, it was very difficult for me to bowl to these two batters. For all other batters, I had plans. However, I could not find solutions while bowling to these two," Pathan concluded.

Also Read: Does Virat Kohli still fit in T20 format? Irfan Pathan answers

Dhoni Continues to play in IPL 2025

While AB de Villiers has retired from the sport, MS Dhoni is still plying his trade for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025. The former India captain will be seen in action once again on Saturday, April 5, when they take on Delhi Capitals at Chepauk.