Before the introduction of the Indian Premier League (IPL), there was another domestic T20 franchise-based tournament in India. Known as the Indian Cricket League (ICL), this competition took place against the wishes of BCCI.
It was only to pit against ICL that BCCI came up with the idea of IPL. In order to make it more attractive, BCCI also increased the prize-money for the participants of IPL. Further, the board also imposed a life-ban on the cricketers who had participated in the controversial league.
Nevertheless, BCCI revoked the ban a few years later. This way, several cricketers became eligible to play in IPL and represent India. While a few Indian players did go on to play in the IPL, a couple of overseas stars also made their way into the IPL. In this article, we talk about such overseas stars.
1. Azhar Mahmood
Pakistani all-rounder Azhar Mahmood is one of the very few cricketers who were part of both IPL and ICL. Also, Azhar belongs to the rare list of Pakistan-born cricketers who played in IPL after the first edition.
Before IPL, Azhar took part in the Indian Cricket League (ICL) too. It is only after obtaining a British passport that the 45-year-old became eligible for a spot in IPL. In the 23 games he played across three years, the all-rounder accounted for 388 runs and 29 wickets. At the moment, Azhar has involved himself in coaching assignments.
2. Johan Van der Wath
Johan van der Wath played two seasons of the Indian Cricket League for Mumbai Champs. He cancelled his contract with the league after these two seasons. The tall all-rounder had featured 23 times in the competition.
The South African also came into IPL in 2011. Signed up by Royal Challengers Bangalore, as per the official website, Johan played in three games to score 18 runs and pick three wickets. The cricketer has played 10 ODI’s for South Africa, scoring 89 runs and collecting 13 scalps.
3. Shane Bond
Shane Bond, obviously, is the biggest name on this list. One of the fiercest bowlers that New Zealand has ever seen, Bond signed up for ICL when it was pitched at him. The pacer cited financial reasons to take up the new challenge. This is despite the New Zealand board stressing that ICL-bound Kiwi players would not be allowed to play for the country.
Nevertheless, Bond played in the ICL and later withdrew from the competition. After this, the cricketer returned to the National Team. In the third season of IPL, he also enrolled for the auctions. KKR, courtesy of a thrilling tiebreaker, won the bid and signed the cricketer.
4. Justin Kemp
Justin Kemp is yet another big name who is part of this list. A destructive batsman and a wily bowler, Kemp did well for South Africa when he played for them. In 85 ODI games, Kemp scored 1512 runs and collected 32 wickets. However, opting for the Kolpak deal, the player gave up his international career.
The Kolpak deal also came under threat after he signed up to play in ICL. The player represented Hyderabad Heroes in the tournament. After the league was banned, Kemp was allowed to fulfill his Kolpad deal in the county. The South African also played five games in IPL. He was picked up CSK in 2010, and in the short stint, Kemp scored 26 runs and took three scalps.
