Without any doubt, the Indian Premier League is the most popular and biggest T20 league in the world and players from other countries love to get featured in this cash-rich contest. During the inaugural season, players from Pakistan were also featured in this tournament but later, according to the rules, none of the cricketers from the Pakistan cricket team will get featured in the tournament from IPL 2009. However, players who were born in Pakistan but represented different countries in the International arena could be get picked for franchise cricket likewise we have witnessed in the last couple of years. Likewise, in this article, we are going to see 4 Pakistan-born cricketers who got IPL contracts after representing other countries in the International arena.
Born in Attock, Punjab, Pakistan, the 32-year-old cricketer got an IPL contract from Kolkata Knight Riders during IPL 2020. He was signed by the Kolkata-based franchise as a replacement for injured Varun Chakravarthy. However, the right-arm pacer didn't get a single game during that season as he had to warm the bench throughout the season. Ali Khan represents the USA in the national arena and his heroics with the ball in CPL have helped him to earn a place in the KKR squad during IPL 2020.
The Pakistani-origin spinner Adil Rashid was roped in by Sunrisers Hyderabad during the mini-auction of IPL 2023. Adil Rashid who went unsold in the first round was finally roped in by Sunrisers Hyderabad at his base price of INR 2 Crores. The English cricketer is likely to be the lead spinner for the Hyderabad-based franchise as he will be backed by the likes of Mayank Markande and a few more.
Likewise, Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali is also a Pakistani-origin cricketer who represents England in the international arena. Moeen Ali is one of the popular names known in the Chennai Super Kings who did a splendid job with both the bat and the ball. He was retained by the Chennai-based franchise during the mega auction of IPL 2022 which was followed by IPL 2023 as well. His ability to bat at any position and bowl during the crunch moments of the game makes him one of the best in business for the side.
Sikandar Raza who was born in Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan earned an IPL contract after his fabulous performance in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Sikandar Raza moved from Pakistan to Zimbabwe and earned a lot of respect and support from the Zimbabwe fans for his acrobatic performance with both the bat and the ball. Moreover, he was the main reason behind the victory against Pakistan in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2022. His back-to-back performance made him attract Punjab Kings who roped the 36-year-old at his base price of INR 50 Lakhs.