There have been several instances in cricket where siblings have played an extremely crucial role in uplifting a side to glory. May it be with the bat or the ball, one has upheld the other in scintillating fashion to wring out crucial runs or wickets when their team needed it the most.
International cricket has stayed witness to the imperious dominance of brotherly duos like Steve and Mark Waugh from Australia, Andy and Grant Flower from Zimbabwe, Kevin and Niall O Brien from Ireland, Kamran and Umar Akmal from Pakistan. We will now enlist five brothers who went on to play in Indian Premier League and has left an indelible impression for the sides they were a part of.
1. Hardik and Krunal Pandya
The Pandya brothers have been of significant importance in the echelons of Mumbai Indians. Hardik Pandya’s relentless belligerence with his ability to chip in with important breakthroughs with the ball in his hand makes him one of the best all-rounders in the squad.
Krunal Pandya, on the contrary, has failed to live up to his brother’s billing, but still manages to be a vital cog in the aspirations of Mumbai Indians with some efficient spin bowling. He is also capable of smashing a few massive hits which can throw the bowlers in the end in utter disarray.
2. Irfan and Yusuf Pathan
The elder brother, Yusuf has always been a tormentor-in-chief for any franchise that he has played. His destructive batting in the middle-order which is always bedecked with some meaty blows which easily crosses the threshold of the stadium is something that every team looks forward to in the shortest format of the game. His short bowling cameos also becomes extremely handy as that provides his team much more variety in their bowling attack.
Haplessly, unlike Yusuf Pathan, his younger sibling, Irfan hasn’t really been that great in the colours of IPL. Being a part of 5 different franchises, he has failed to kiss his usual heights, the ones where his all-round showdowns paved the way for several Indian victories.
3. Albie and Morne Morkel
The pace-duo from the heart of the Rainbow nation has been of utmost importance in winning them countless matches. Albie Morkel, an all-rounder, who can consign the bowlers easily out of the park with his brute strength and can also hit the deck at a decent pace of 135 plus kays, has played for Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils and Rising Pune Supergiants. Despite being successful for Bangalore and Chennai, he visibly ebbed away to oblivion after mediocre showdowns in the colours of Pune Super Giants.
Morne Morkel has been of tremendous importance to Kolkata Knightriders as he was an important part of the 2014-IPL-winning squad. Being a fast bowler that he is, Morkel has produced bouts of swing and pace that has dismantled his counterparts pretty often.
4. Dwayne and Darren Bravo
Dwayne Bravo is one of the best players in Indian Premier League who has left an impressive legacy with his all-round fireworks. Being a part of three different squads, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Gujrat Lions, Dwayne has been absolutely indispensable to the teams that he was a part of.
Much to the disappointment of his brother, Darren hasn’t been that impressive in the cash-rich league. He did manage to notch himself up successful bids from Deccan Chargers and KKR but until now has featured in a solitary match.
5. Brendon and Nathan McCullum
The man who showed the nation that how exactly is T-20 cricket played with some blistering pyrotechnics of his own, Brendon McCullum has been an absolute colossus for KKR and Chennai Super Kings. His fielding prowess has also been top-notch that has earned him several plaudits.
His brother, Nathan McCullum didn’t really savour as much success as Baz did in this Indian extravaganza. His notable stints include playing for Pune Warriors and Sunrisers Hyderabad with pedestal showdowns that have posed a question mark on his career and finally left him out of favour in the eyes of the franchise selectors.
