As T20 cricket disseminated its vice across the entire globe, it also gave birth to what one today knows as franchise cricket across the face of the planet IPL and BBL being the prime examples. Given the short time-span of the game, various apex cricketing bodies embraced the idea of franchise cricket that would bring more local stars to the limelight and would also generate titanic revenue for the cricketing aspirations of a nation.
The earliest forms of franchise cricket established in India and Australia which were named the Indian Premier League and Big Bash League eventually started walking hand in hand once both went on simultaneously. Even South Africa had its own domestic version of the T20 cricket establishment, which failed to gain enough traction, unlike the two others.
BBL and IPL have now managed to walk a long way and is known for complementing each other. Not only has players who have exhibited a sparkling rate of success in IPL from Australia and New Zealand has earned themselves a call-up in their respective national team but players who have bobbed up as successful cricketers in BBL, have also successfully led their IPL sides to glory.
In this story, we will be sneaking a peek into five cricketers who came from BBL and went on to weave a nuanced legacy in the Indian Premier League.
1. Glenn Maxwell
Despite a woeful showdown in the last couple of IPL seasons, we are all aware of what kind f damage is this Australian capable of inflicting upon his counterparts if he gets going. Though his IPL 2020 stats weren’t exactly promising, he came strongly against India in the ensuing T20 series. That display of belligerence from the hard-hitting Australian fetched him a staggering price of Rs 14.25 crores that is the highest amount which he has won for himself.
This man initially grabbed the limelight after a rollicking display in the Big Bash League. From being a modest and yet dynamic run-gatherer in the early days of BBL, he evolved into a fierce run-machine that was followed by his manifestation in the national colours.
Despite receiving his first IPL call-up in 2012, his first sign of reckoning arrived in 2014 when he wrecked every single team in a glorious display of batting. He managed to garner 552 runs which were accompanied by a strike rate of 187.75.
He continued with his all-round showdown in both the leagues from there on and is now deemed as one of the most iconic cricketers in the shortest format of the sport.
His numbers are nothing short of impressive in both the leagues. In BBL, he has played 86 matches that have seen him garnering 2204 runs and claim 33 wickets. In IPL, he has managed to amass 1505 runs at a stunning strike rate of 154.67.
2. Chris Lynn
The burly opener hailing all the way from Brisbane is now a household moniker in India, thanks to his exultant imposition in the shortest format of cricket. He is knowing for his storms higher up the order and the destruction that he unleashes without much fuss. At times he is also known for his anchoring stance in order to support an otherwise crumbling innings.
This man imposed himself in the shortest format of the sport in India after a brilliant catch in the deep that changed the course of the game in the very last ball. However, before Kolkata Knight Riders came calling for the destructive opener, he was spreading exuding sparks of eye-dazzling pyrotechnics for the Brisbane Heat in BBL.
The Heat Icon has played 90 games in BBL which has witnessed the opener garnering 2790 runs at a tempestuous strike rate of 151.06 and a fine average of 37.
While his IPL numbers recently started going up the ladder as his heroics in IPL 2017, 2018 and 2019 saw Chris Lynn emerging as a messiah for a shaky KKR starting line-up, he also shot to salience in India’s domestic franchise extravaganza as one of its leading openers. He has managed to blast 1280 runs in IPL at a decent average of 33.68. He is currently a part of Mumbai Indians and continues to struggle to find a place in the starting eleven.
3. Ben Cutting
The bloke who blazed a seraphic 39 from only 15 balls to smoke a roaring RCB in the 2016 finals, Ben Cutting’s importance in IPL burgeoned after a flamboyant season in BBL for the Brisbane Heat. Though he recently changed his long-standing allegiance with Heat to Sydney Thunders, it had no major impact on his performance.
He started emitting a glow of unplayable radiance with the ball in his hand as he scalped 13 wickets from 9 innings in his opening essay in BBL. Though this was followed by a slump in his bowling figures, he compensated for the same with an economical display and laced it with some excellent and tempestuous batting.
Despite being recognized more as a bowling all-rounder, his batting statistics are slightly better in BBL that has seen him smoking 1479 runs from 81 innings while he has also managed to claim 67 wickets from 88 innings.
Going by the exact definition of being successful, it won’t really be a picturesque landing for Cutting in IPL but that man did play a few knocks of so much importance that it led the Indians to believe him to be a messiah on the biggest occasions.
His numbers in IPL are limited too and not really significant enough to catapult him to the pedestal of an icon. However, what really matters is the showdowns that he has stitched on the biggest occasions, especially the one in 2016 final that left Bangalore writhing in agony towards the end.
4. Nathan Coulter-Nile
Nathan Coulter-Nile hasn’t been at the front of the popularity scale in IPL or Australian cricket recently, but the trail of carnage that he has left behind in his glittering antiquity is more than enough to deem him an indispensable bowler in any outfit.
Ever since his first season in BBL, he shone with the cherry in his hand, claiming 10 wickets from 7 games. Due to injuries, this man always had to spend more time on recuperation instead of building himself into an even better version of a shining cricketer than he was.
His BBL statistics read 56 matches with a stunning collection of 67 wickets and 367 crucial runs. After he arrived in IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders didn’t fail to discern his flair and the destruction that he inflicted for the purple and gold brigade was top-notch.
In 2015 and 2017, he managed to scalp 15 wickets each, once again underlining the fact, that if he remains fit, he can be a disparate pacer, to say the least.
5. Marcus Stoinis
The brawny all-rounder who has left a trail of carnage with the willow to wherever he went, was an absolute revelation for the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2020. Not only is he known for striking the ball beyond any recognition of the word “hard”, but he is also known for his brief tormenting spells with the ball in his hand.
BBL discovered this rare gem a long time back and now he has managed to play 73 matches which have seen him piling 2098 runs with a career-best of an unbeaten 147. His BBL stunt has also seen him pick up 36 wickets with a sublime bowling spell of 4 for 21.
IPL always cast him as a pinch-hitter and didn’t really realize his true potential until he went on charring the bowlers in the last edition of IPL, donning on the jersey of the Capitals. Also known for his versatility that makes it really easy for the teams to shuffle him according to the team’s needs makes him a perfect team-player and a future leader in the making.
The benign cricketer who is the brand ambassador of the new bunch of cricketers slowly making their entrance into the Australian team has incipient figures of 352 runs from 17 games and 13 wickets. With a lifetime of cricket still lying ahead of him, it won’t be astonishing if this man goes o to become one of the most shining foreign names of IPL.
