The Punjab and Haryana region plays an important role when it comes to Indian Sports. In cricket, too, the region has always managed to provide great cricketers. The likes of Kapil Dev (Haryana), Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh (Punjab) are some fine examples. In recent times, Punjab has also given some cricketers to other nations. In this article, we take a look at six active Punjab born cricketers who play for different countries in International Cricket.
Due to fewer opportunities in India or due to other reasons, a few cricketers tend to play for other nations. This has become more prevalent in recent years. Punjab is one state from which many cricketers fly out to pursue a cricketing career elsewhere. We take a look at a few of them in this article.
1) Ish Sodhi – Ludhiana (New Zealand)
Ish Sodhi is one of the popular active Punjab born cricketers who play for different countries in International Cricket. Born in the state, the leggie has been a consistent part of New Zealand’s limited-overs setup for a few years now. The player has also enjoyed his time as the No.1 T20I bowler for a few months. New Zealand is a country that has seen many Indian-origin players develop their careers. Ish Sodhi is one of the best in that category.
2) Sunny Sohal – Bathlana (USA)
Sunny Sohal is one of the first entrants to the revolution of USA Cricket where players from other nations started representing the country. The player from Punjab has also played in the Indian Premier League. Sunny has been a regular part of the USA XI for a few years now.
3) Jaskaran Malhotra – Chandigarh (USA)
Born in the capital city of Chandigarh, wicket-keeper Jaskaran Malhotra made his debut for the USA Team in 2019. The 32-year-old has played in both ODI and T20I formats for the nation.
4) Simi Singh – Bathlana (Ireland)
Simi Singh is one of the active Punjab born cricketers who play for different countries in International Cricket. The bowling all-rounder represents Ireland and was part of the recent T20 World Cup. Simi is experienced at the international level, having played close to 30 ODIs and T20Is. A wily off-spinner, Simi is one of the very few Irish players to have a century and a five-wicket haul in ODI cricket.
5) Suraj Kumar – Jalandhar (Oman)
A wicket-keeper, Suraj Kumar plays for Oman in international cricket. Oman is one of the improved teams in recent years and they also took part in the 2021 T20 World Cup. Suraj was part of the team. Although he has been decent, Suraj will want to improve his performances or he could lose his spot in the team.
6) Jatinder Singh – Ludhiana (Oman)
Like Suraj Kumar, Jatinder Singh is also another Punjab-born player who plays for Oman. Jatinder is a batter and was part of the Oman squad that took part in the T20 World Cup. He has an average of 30 in T20Is while it drops down to 22 in ODI cricket.
