IPL: 5 Players we never knew had played for these teams

The Indian Premier League (IPL) over the years has gifted some wonderful talents to the fraternity, not just to India but also for other countries. We’ve seen the likes of Shane Watson and David Miller gain stardom through IPL although they were a part of their national sides back then. It was in the IPL where David Warner realized his potential as a captain and he led Sunrisers Hyderabad to a title victory in 2016.

This is one platform everyone loves and it either makes or breaks a career. It almost provides a stage for youngsters, where they get to play in front of 10,000+ people for the first time in their life. It tests their temperament and also plays a crucial role in deciding their future endeavours.

Over the years, we’ve seen so many players do a lot of things to stick in the IPL. Sometimes people never got an opportunity to play in a team and we don’t even have a clue that these people had played for a certain team earlier. For example, Angelo Mathews had earlier played for Kolkata Knight Riders, good luck recollecting when this happened!

Let’s take a look at the players who played for teams we never knew.

1. Steve Smith – Royal Challengers Bangalore

Now, this must be an absolute shocker for everyone, but it’s true! Steve Smith was a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2010. The youngster remained under the shadow of Virat Kohli back then and with so many star foreign players present, he never got an opportunity to enter the battlefield wearing the red jersey.

The next season, Steve Smith was bought by the Kochi Tuskers Kerala, but once again, he failed to appear in any games for them. He later made his debut for the Pune Warriors India and established himself as a player to watch out for at the Rajasthan Royals camp. The rest, as they say, is history. Imagine RCB’s strength if they had managed to keep him and Kohli together till date?

2. Manish Pandey – Mumbai Indians

One of the best talents IPL has nourished over the years, Manish Pandey’s first ever IPL stint was with Mumbai Indians. It’s hard to imagine him in that blue jersey for all the RCB and KKR fans, but he did represent the 3-time Champions. Pandey could get just 3 games that season and moved on to the Royal Challengers next season, where he became the first ever Indian to score a hundred in the IPL.

He was one of the brightest prospects back then, being an integral part of the Virat Kohli’s U19 team which won the World Cup that same year. But he failed to garner the same amount of attention as his captain. Nevertheless, his performances for the Kolkata Knight Riders established his status as a trust-worthy cricketer in the limited overs.

3. Chris Lynn – Deccan Chargers and Sunrisers Hyderabad

Another big surprise for all the KKR fans! Chris Lynn is one of the hot favourites to lead the men in purple in the upcoming season, but his IPL career began under the Deccan Chargers. He played just one game for them in 2012. He managed to score just 12 runs in that game and got dropped from the side eventually.

After the Deccan Chargers franchise got terminated, the Sunrisers Hyderabad subsequently drafted him into their squad in the 2013 season but didn’t get to play a single game. Kolkata picked him up in the auction in 2014 and they’ve done the same in 2018. But this time, he was bought for a whopping Rs. 9.6 Crore and this signifies how much he has improved over the course of time.

4. Mohammad Kaif – Kings XI Punjab

One of the most revered cricketers in the early 2000s for his fielding exploits, Mohammad Kaif’s career decline disappointed a lot of fans. Nevertheless, he did play well for the Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural season of the IPL, which they eventually won. But not many remember that he later represented the Kings XI Punjab in 2010.

He played just three games for them before heading to RCB for the next season. Mohammad Kaif slowly started to part ways from the gentleman’s game and never looked back. He also tried his luck in politics but failed to become an MP in the 2014 elections. He is currently with Chhattisgarh at the domestic level.

5. Eoin Morgan – Royal Challengers Bangalore

Eoin Morgan has worked out some wonderful results leading this rampant English side in the limited overs. His first major contribution in the IPL came when he represented the Kolkata Knight Riders between 2011 and 2013. But not many know that he was initially with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2010.

He didn’t get to play a single game that season. Steve Smith and Morgan kept warming the RCB bench that season and who would’ve imagined they’d go on to lead their national sides in the time to come? With the game-changing so drastically over the course of time, both these players have come a long way in their lives and IPL did play a part in it.

For more IPL updates follow, CricTracker.com