For more than a decade, Pakistani players have been absent from the Indian Premier League (IPL). The last Pakistani cricketer to feature in the tournament was all-rounder Azhar Mehmood, who played in the league between 2012 and 2015, although he did so after entering the auction as an English player. Their emergence comes years after the participation of Pakistani cricketers in the IPL ended after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.The debate about Pakistani players and the franchise league returned recently when mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed was picked by Sunrisers Leeds during The Hundred player auction. The Chennai-based Sun Group-owned franchise paid GBP 190,000 (roughly Rs 2.34 crore) after a bidding war with Trent Rockets. With the move, Ahmed became the first Pakistani player to be signed by an Indian-owned franchise in the tournament.His signing also ended speculation that Indian-owned teams would avoid Pakistani players in The Hundred, as has happened in the IPL since 2009 due to strained diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan.
Pakistani players in IPL
The first season of the IPL in 2008 featured several Pakistani cricketers, including Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, and Sohail Tanveer. In the tournament, players from both countries shared dressing rooms and participated in the new T20 league.Shahid Afridi played for Deccan Chargers while fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar represented Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Misbah-ul-Haq was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) squad.Among them was fast bowler Sohail Tanveer who left the biggest mark. Playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR), who won the league in 2008, Tanveer ended the season with 22 wickets and was awarded the Purple Cap for taking the most wickets in the tournament. His best performance came against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) when he returned figures of 6/14.However, the situation changed after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. After these attacks, political relations between Pakistan and India were suspended. Later, Pakistan also stopped its players from traveling to India for the IPL, citing security concerns.At that time, many franchises expressed their disappointment over the non-participation of Pakistani players from the league.Joy Bhattacharya, the then team leader of KKR, said that the team would miss the players from Pakistan. Akhtar, Umar Gul, Salman Butt and Mohammad Hafeez represented the franchise in 2008.“We were like a family. Shoaib and Umar are not only good cricketers but also popular with Knight Riders teammates. We will surely miss them a lot,” he had said.Similar views were shared by Amrit Mathur, then the Chief Executive of Delhi Daredevils.“We will miss the Pakistani players as they were important members of our team,” Mathur had said.What was initially expected to be a temporary hiatus turned into a long absence. With the passage of time, it became difficult to obtain a non-objection certificate from the Pakistan Cricket Board. At the same time, IPL franchises were reluctant to bid for players who might not get visas to travel to India.
Azhar Mehmood: Last Pakistani Player in IPL
While Pakistani players have largely stayed away from the IPL since 2009, Azhar Mehmood appeared in the league for three seasons between 2012 and 2015.Mehmood played for Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab) in the 2012 and 2013 seasons and later represented KKR in the 2015 season.However, Mahmood did not enter the league as a Pakistani player. After moving to the UK and obtaining a British passport, he registered for the IPL auction as an English player.Mahmood, a right-arm fast bowling all-rounder, played 23 IPL matches in three seasons. He took 29 wickets at an economy rate of 7.82. With the bat, he scored 388 runs at a strike rate of 128.05.Mahmood is the last cricketer of Pakistani origin to join the IPL, although he did so as a British citizen.In 2010, there was a brief moment when Pakistani players returned to the IPL auction list. The auction pool included many of the country’s top players. However, none of the franchises bid on any of them. The incident was later described as a “silent snub” and effectively confirmed that the IPL had moved beyond signing Pakistani cricketers.Since then Pakistani players have been absent from the IPL. Mehmood’s appearance in the tournament is the latest instance of a Pakistani-origin cricketer taking the field in the league, marking the end of a short chapter that began in the first season of the IPL in 2008.
