Top three best performers from Pakistan in Indian T20 League

Indian T20 League is undoubtedly the grandest cricket carnival on the planet. Having a history of picking up young talent and transforming them into megastars, this tournament has changed the landscape of the sport all around the world. This Indian Cricket Board initiative of 8 teams from the metro cities of the country was met with an overwhelming response from the Indian fans.

The 2008 season was a revolutionary tournament with players from all over the world coming to play in India and enthralling the fans. However, from the 2009 edition due to political tensions, Pakistani cricketers were barred from further taking part in the tournament.

Here’s a list of the top 3 Pakistani best performers in the Indian T20 League

1. Sohail Tanvir

Sohail Tanvir (Source - Twitter)

The left-armer was quite a sensation in the inaugural season with 22 wickets in 11 matches. The first Purple Cap winner was one major weapon in Shane Warne’s armory as Rajasthan Royals went on to win the Indian T20 League that year.

Tanvir had been magnificent as his probing line caused quite a few problems. The fact that he could not play in the cash-rich league again was quite sad. His best bowling figure of 6/14 came against the Chennai Franchise in the 2008 season.

2. Umar Gul

Umar Gul (Source - Twitter)

Another Pakistani bowler performed pretty decently in the Indian T20 League. Umar Gul has been amongst the best bowlers in T20 cricket. Had fitness issues not marred his progress, he could have been a bigger figure in the game.

He played a few games for Kolkata in the 2008 season and signed off in style by winning the last league game against Punjab Franchise. He took four wickets and then hit a quickfire 24 in the slog overs to help them chase down 175. In his overall Indian T20 League career he took 12 wickets in the 6 matches he played.

3. Azhar Mahmood

Umar Gul (Source - Twitter)

 Azhar Mahmood, the former Pakistan international, continues to be a part of the Indian T20 League by virtue of his British passport. Mahmood played 23 matches in the cash-rich league and scored 388 runs. He was pretty decent with the ball as well. He picked 29 wickets in the 23 matches he played for the various franchises in the major league.