Azhar Mahmood to play for Kings XI

Pakistani cricketers have been a pariah in the Indian Premier League for the last three seasons but former all-rounder Azhar Mahmood on Saturday, fetched a contract with Kings XI Punjab albeit as a English player.

The 36-year-old Rawalpindi-born right hand batsman and right arm pacer, who now has a British passport, was bought for USD 200,000 by Kings XI Punjab at the players auction for the fifth edition in Bangalore.

One of the 146 cricketers to go under the hammer, Mahmood has played in 21 Tests and 143 ODIs for Pakistan but his last appearance for his country of birth was during the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

He had turned up in the match against Ireland, which his team lost shockingly at Kingston, Jamaica. The cricketer said that in July last year he had qualified to play for England.

No player from Pakistan has figured in the cash-rich T20 League after the first edition in 2008 following the Mumbai terror attacks the same year.

No franchise had shown any interest in picking a Pakistani player, though, they had figured in the auction list last year.

Click here for IPL 2012 auctions' player list