Who Are The Last Pakistan Players To Play In An IPL Final? Not Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi
Pakistani players have been effectively barred from the IPL since 2009.
Pakistan leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed is set to play for an IPL owner-backed team in the upcoming season of The Hundred, following his acquisition by Sunrisers Leeds during Thursday's auction in London. Sunrisers Leeds is owned by the Sun Group, which also operates Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20. The franchise roped in the spinner for 190,000 pounds (approx. Rs 2.34 crore), outbidding Trent Rockets. However, the move has sparked major controversy, mainly due to the player's past activities.
Abrar was the second Pakistan player sold in the auction after mystery spinner Usman Tariq was bought by Birmingham Phoenix for 140,000.
While Abrar's signing is a landmark for an Indian-owned team, he is not the only Pakistan international to have played for franchises with Indian investment. Players like Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim, Usman Khan, and Tariq have previously represented teams with majority or partial Indian ownership in other global T20 leagues.
Nevertheless, given that political relations between India and Pakistan remain strained, the outrage over Sunrisers Leeds' purchase is not surprising. Pakistani players have been effectively barred from the IPL since 2009. Back in the inaugural 2008 edition, 11 Pakistan players featured in the league. The only exception since then has been Azhar Mahmood, who represented Kings XI Punjab (2012-2013) and Kolkata Knight Riders (2015) by virtue of his British passport.
Rajasthan Royals, the IPL's first-ever champions, famously featured three Pakistan stars in their 2008 squad: Younis Khan, Kamran Akmal, and Sohail Tanvir. While Akmal and Tanvir (the tournament's first Purple Cap winner) played in the final, Younis was on the bench for the summit clash against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
In fact, Tanvir won the Purple Cap that season for bagging 22 wickets.
To date, that inaugural triumph remains the Royals' only IPL title.
Rajasthan Royals
Sohail Tanvir
Kamran Akmal
Younis Khan