In the shocking auction of the IPL 2020 on Thursday, the veteran Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan went off the stage without being sold to any of the team owners. For the first time in his IPL career, Yusuf went unsold and therefore, will not be a member of any side in the cash-rich tournament.
In his debut season in the IPL, Yusuf collected eight wickets along with scoring 435 runs with his bat. He gave his best to the 2008 IPL winners, Rajasthan Royals (RR), who picked him in the squad after noticing his performances in domestic cricket.
The 37-years-old batsman scored some of the fastest half-centuries in the IPL history. Apart from this, he also holds a record of scoring the fastest IPL century by an Indian player. In 2010, Pathan smashed a ton off just 37 deliveries against Mumbai Indians, which included 11 consecutive hits to the boundary.
Although he gave his best years to RR (won IPL 2008) and Kolkata Knight Riders (won IPL 2012 and 2014), he couldn’t prove his worth to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The owners of the Orange Army bagged him ahead of the IPL 2018. With the 2016 IPL champs, he featured for two seasons but couldn’t live up to their expectations.
Ahead of the mini-auction in Kolkata, SRH released Yusuf, who then put himself in the pool of 338 cricketers with the base price of Rs. 1 crore. But much to his expectations and experience in the IPL, he was not picked up by any franchise at the auction.
Irfan Pathan dedicates a heartwarming post for brother Yusuf
Nevertheless, his younger brother Irfan Pathan referred to Yusuf’s first dismissal auction as a ‘small hiccup’ comparing his performance in the previous editions of the IPL.
The former Indian all-rounder posted a picture of himself celebrating with Yusuf after India’s triumph at the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup and wrote: “Small hiccups doesn’t define your career, you have been outstanding thru out. A real match winner. Love you always Lala @iamyusufpathan.”
Small hiccups doesn’t define your career,you have been outstanding thru out. A real match winner. Love you always Lala @iamyusufpathan pic.twitter.com/h3tw3AjoGS
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) December 19, 2019
