Hyderabad: There has been a consistent demand from Indian cricket fans to allow Indian players to participate in the overseas T20 leagues. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) doesn’t allow the players to take part in the various T20 competitions around the world. However, there have been instances before the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) when the Indian players feature in England’s domestic T20 competitions.
Yuvraj Singh (Yorkshire - 2003) - India’s elegant left-handed batter featured for Yorkshire in the 2003 season of England’s domestic T20 competition. In the inaugural season of the competition, Yuvraj amassed 154 runs with an average of 30.80 and a strike rate of 143.92. He also picked five wickets in the season for the team.
Mohammad Kaif (Derbyshire 2003) - The former Indian batter notched up just 75 runs from five innings with an average of 18.75 and a poo strike rate of 105.63.
Virender Sehwag (Leicestershire 2003) - Sehwag played for Leicestershire and dished out a poor performance in the season. He scored only 86 runs from six matches with a dismal average of 14.33 and a strike rate of 136.50. With the ball, he took seven wickets from four innings and played a part in the team’s semi-final run.
Dinesh Mongia (Lancashire 2004, Leicestershire 2005): Mongia accrued 112 runs from three innings with a strike rate of 131.76 for semi-finalists Lancashire in 2004. Also, he managed to pick up eight wickets with a strike rate of 9.7.
The next season was not very good for Monia while playing for Leicestershire. He scored only 110 runs from eight matches with a strike rate of 110.37. Also, he scalped eight wickets with an economy of 6.78.
Harbhajan Singh (Surrey 2005): Harbhajan Singh played for Surrey in 2005 but came out with a lacklustre performance. From eight matches in the tournament, the Indian off-spinner picked only four wickets with a bowling average of 38.
Sourav Ganguly (Glamorgan 2005, Northamptonshire 2006): The left-handed Indian batter represented Glamorgan in the 2005 season. He scored just 114 runs in the season with an average of 22.80 and an ordinary strike rate of 112.87 apart from picking five wickets with the ball.
Next year, he moved to Northamptonshire and racked up 220 runs from nine innings with an average of 27.50 and a strike rate of 104.76. Notably, he scalped 11 wickets in the season with an economy of 8.03.
Anil Kumble (Surrey 2006): The Indian leg-spinner featured only in a couple of matches for Surrey. He picked four wickets from those matches with a strike rate of 11.7 and a bowling average of 11.50.
Another notable mention to feature in England’s T20 competition is Murali Karthik who played for three English clubs. He appeared for Middlesex from 2007 to 2009 while playing for Somerset in 2010 and 2011. The left-arm orthodox spinner then played for Surrey in 2012.
