The Indian Premier League is set to enter its 15th edition. The previous 14 seasons of the IPL have been a blockbuster ride for the fans and the franchises.
While there are some names that always stand out when we talk about IPL winning teams – such as Shane Watson, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine – there are some well-known international cricketers who fans barely remember being part of IPL winning squads.
Here are 5 international stars who have won the IPL but fans may not know about:
Darren Lehmann
You might be shocked to learn that not only did Darren Lehmann play in the IPL but also won the title in 2008. A prolific batsman for Australia, Darren Lehmann last played in an international game in 2005. However, even three years after that he was bought by Rajasthan Royals for the first IPL season in 2008 for 12 lakh.
The left-hander got chances to bat in a couple of games and scored only 18 runs in it at a strike rate of 100 before being dropped. He did however win the title that year in his only IPL season for the Royals.
Hemang Badani
It was a slight surprise that the Chennai Super Kings spent 12 lakh on Hemang Badani in the IPL 2010 auction. Badani featured in 40 ODIs for India, the last of which came in 2004; but CSK banked on his experience even six years after that.
Although Badani didn’t get to play any IPL game, he became part of a title-winning franchise when CSK defeated Mumbai Indians in the 2010 final. Badani was never part of any franchise as a player after that.
Younis Khan
One of the greatest Pakistani batsmen, Younis Khan also featured in the IPL during the 2008 season, before the Pakistani players were not allowed to participate in the tournament.
Younis was bought by the Royals for 90 lakh; he was picked only for one match – against Punjab – and managed just three runs in it, spending the rest of the season on the bench, but got a winners medal with RR in 2008.
Kamran Akmal
Another Pakistani player part of the Royals team in 2008 is Kamran Akmal. The wicket-keeper batsman who was bought for 60 lakh played six matches in the tournament scoring 128 runs, including playing in the final versus CSK.
Unmukt Chand
India 2012 under-19 World Cup-winning captain, Unmukt Chand, was with Mumbai Indians in his last two IPL seasons in 2015 and 2016. He played in 6 matches in the 2015 season, scoring 102 runs at a strike rate of 122.
He was dropped before the playoffs from the eleven, but saw Mumbai Indians win their second and his first and only IPL title. Chand last year left Indian cricket to pursue a cricket career in the US.
