Usually, an Indian Premier League squad has around 20 members. However, over a season, not all might get a chance to be a part of the XI. Especially in regard to the overseas players, even though the cricketers might be popular, owing to the four-foreigner rule, a few may not get many chances. Hence, although the franchise wins the competition, not many remember their presence in the squad. In this article, we take a look at the list of five popular players you might not know were once part of an IPL winning squad.
1) Kamran Akmal – IPL 2008 (Rajasthan Royals)
The Pakistan cricketers were part of the first season of IPL in 2008. Kamran Akmal was hired by Rajasthan Royals, who went on to win the competition. In six matches across the season, the wicket-keeper scored 128 runs, including an unbeaten half-century.
Having played 53 Tests, 157 ODIs and 58 T20Is for Pakistan, Kamran was the nation’s main man behind the stumps for a long period. However, controversies and bad keeping form put him out of favour. The 39-year-old player is still active in franchise cricket.
2) Younis Khan – IPL 2008 (Rajasthan Royals)
Younis Khan is one of the popular players you might not know were once part of an IPL winning squad. The legendary cricketer scored over 17000 international runs for Pakistan and has even captained the unit.
In 2008, Younis was part of Rajasthan Royals’ title-winning squad. However, the right-hander did not have a big role to play in the victory. He played just one game and scored only three runs in it.
3) Justin Langer – IPL 2008 (Rajasthan Royals)
Justin Langer was known to be a Test specialist, but at the IPL 2008 Auctions, season one champions Rajasthan Royals hired him at his base price. However, the southpaw had to withdraw as he had a County assignment.
Langer is currently the Head Coach of Australia. During his playing career, Langer had a massive impact on the Test line-up. Over the last few years, his tenure as Australia’s coach has gone through ups and downs, but the board is still backing him.
4) Hemang Badani – IPL 2010 (Chennai Super Kings)
After playing 4 Tests and 40 ODIs for the country, Chennai-born Hemang Badani signed up for the Indian Cricket League. He represented the Chennai Superstars team in the competition. Hence, for the first few seasons, he was unavailable for IPL.
However, in the 2010 Auctions, CSK signed the player. Though he did not get a single game, Badani became an IPL winner because his CSK teammates went on to win the trophy for the first time. Since then, Badani has not featured a lot in competitive cricket but has been a fine commentator.
5) Unmukt Chand – IPL 2015 (Mumbai Indians)
Unmukt Chand won the U19 World Cup as the skipper in 2012. Against Australia in the final, he made a century and helped India win the game. Everyone considered him as one for the future, but unfortunately, he failed to make it big. In IPL, as well, the Delhi batsman struggled. He recently announced retirement and moved to the USA.
However, Chand is a part of this list of players you might not know were once part of an IPL winning squad. In 2015, he was part of the Mumbai Indians squad that won the league. He played six games that season and scored a total of 102 runs. Chand’s only IPL half-century came in that edition.
