IPL: 10 Cricketers you never knew were a part of these teams

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has time and again proven itself as a home of opportunities for youngsters and a place to revive their careers for some seniors. It’s not the easiest of platforms to perform considering there are full strength crowds pretty much every game and the intensity is as much as we witness for an International game.

It gets difficult to find the correct permutations and combinations for any side and in that process, many times have tried many cricketers, just trying to see if they fit the combination. In the process, some teams let go of a few players thinking they might not be very useful to them, but they ended up being superstars in other franchises.

Here’s a list of few cricketers who played or were a part of certain IPL teams which not many are wary of:

1. Stuart Broad – Kings XI Punjab

Now, this must be an absolute shocker for many. Even for the best of cricket geeks, it’s difficult to remember that Stuart Broad was a part of Kings XI Punjab in 2011 but backed out due to an injury. He went under the hammer in Bangalore at the auction in 2011 and attracted a whopping $400,000 (INR 1.8 Crore) bid.

Kings XI Punjab, well aware of the quality he brings to the side, continued association with him for another season. But unfortunately, Broad once again couldn’t make it to the side because of an injury. The management decided to free him of the duty and after that, he never attracted a bid in the IPL.

2. Paul Collingwood – Rajasthan Royals

Having played 8 matches for the Delhi Daredevils in the 2010 season, former England captain Paul Collingwood was roped into the Rajasthan Royals in the 2011 auction. The asking price for the English stalwart was $250,000 (INR 1.12 Crore). Just like his English teammate Broad, he couldn’t make it to the side owing to an injury.

He was replaced by the Kiwi all-rounder Jacob Oram for the same price. Oram had a brilliant World Cup, having picked up 12 wickets in the tournament with his medium pace. Collingwood underwent surgery on the right knee during the IPL and it took a lot of time for him to recover from that.

3. Aakash Chopra – Rajasthan Royals

One of the most prominent Hindi commentators right now, Aakash Chopra‘s broadcasting career has definitely been much better than his cricketing one. After representing Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008, the former Indian cricketer was roped into Rajasthan Royals in 2011 but didn’t get to feature in a single game.

He was signed into the side through “Uncapped players” quota as he didn’t play for India in five years. Aakash Chopra was more suited for the longest formats as he always liked taking ample time. That was one of the major reasons he could represent the national side in 10 Test matches but didn’t get considered for limited overs ever.

4. Quinton de Kock – Sunrisers Hyderabad

Quinton de Kock stepped into the limelight with his hat-trick of centuries against India towards the end of 2013. But even before he did this, the Sunrisers Hyderabad management found some spark in the youngster and bought him in their inaugural season. He was bought for his base price of $20,000 (INR 11 Lakh).

The youngster played just 3 games and could muster only 6 runs for the side. His inexperience was pretty palpable and the management decided to let him go. After that, he started exploding with the bat and was roped into the Delhi Daredevils. He also represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore and is currently playing for the Mumbai Indians.

5. Andre Russell – Delhi Daredevils

Delhi Daredevils (Capitals) fans, look away! The man of the hour in the IPL, Andre Russell has been absolutely demolishing teams apart with his fireworks in the IPL 2019. The Caribbean lad’s first association with the IPL came when he was roped in by Delhi Daredevils back in 2012. He went for a whopping $450,000 (INR 2.34 Crore).

He didn’t get to play a lot of games for the franchise. He played seven games in 2012 and 2013 collectively, amassing just 58 runs. He was sent back to the auction where Kolkata Knight Riders bought him for a base price of Rs. 10 Lakh. The rest, as they say, is history.

6. Tim Paine – Pune Warriors India

The current Australian Test skipper Tim Paine has had a torrid time leading the team without some of the big names. Yet, he did a decent job and has earned the praises of many. But not many can recollect his association in the Indian Premier League.

He was a part of the Pune Warriors India after they roped him for $270,000 (INR 1.21 Crore) from the 2011 IPL auction. He played two matches for the franchise, scoring just 10 runs. He failed to create the impact he would’ve liked and after that, he never got into any of the IPL sides again.

7. Kevin Pietersen – Deccan Chargers

One of English cricket’s cult legends, Kevin Pietersen had a base price of $400,000 for the 2011 auction having represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) previously. He clearly was one of the marquee players in the auction list and Deccan Chargers were lucky enough to earn his services for $650,000 (INR 2.92 Crore).

Much to the disappointment of the Deccan Chargers fans, he never even came to Hyderabad to be a part of the squad. Owing to an injury, he missed the whole season. There were rumours suggesting he would join the side if Chargers reach the playoffs, which they never did and he never came.

8. Vijay Shankar – Chennai Super Kings

It is difficult to remember when Vijay Shankar was a part of the Chennai Super Kings, but one thing is that he has been around the IPL circuit for a long period of time now. In 2014, he was a part of the Chennai Super Kings for his base price of INR 10 Lakh.

The Indian all-rounder played just one match for his local franchise, before going unsold in the next two auctions. He was a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2017 and scored a brilliant 63 against the Gujarat Lions in the final game of the league stages. He has come a long way and now, he is the prime contender to be India’s number four in the World Cup.

9. Karun Nair – Royal Challengers Bangalore

Another one of the youngsters who was roped into the side through uncapped players quota was Karun Nair, whose first IPL exposure came through Royal Challengers Bangalore. He joined the team in 2012, where he didn’t feature in any of the games.

In 2013, he was in the playing XI of RCB twice but could muster only 9 runs. His life changed after he left RCB and joined Rajasthan Royals. From then on, Nair achieved great fame, having scored a triple hundred in Test cricket as well. He currently is with the Kings XI Punjab and is yet to play a game this season.

10. Axar Patel – Mumbai Indians

The all-rounder from Gujarat rose to prominence when he set the 2014 IPL on fire with his bowling performances for the Kings XI Punjab. But before that happened, he was a part of the Mumbai Indians. He was roped in as an uncapped player and didn’t get to play any matches for them.

Mumbai already had a good number of spinning options and hence, Axar never really got into the crux. Nevertheless, through his exploits in the 2014 season, he even made it to the 15-man squad for the 2015 World Cup. He currently is a part of the Delhi Capitals.

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