5 Indian cricketers who enjoyed a rebirth in IPL 2016

Yusuf Pathan was one of the stars for KKR

The ninth edition of the Indian Premier League delivered yet another season of exciting, intense and dramatic action for almost two months. This edition of the cash-rich tournament saw many interesting things such as pacers being more effective on flat Indian tracks and part-time wicketkeepers getting the nod ahead of proper keepers.

Every season of the IPL comes as an opportunity for domestic cricketers who want to make their mark while playing with star players. The stage also gives an equal opportunity for the seasoned campaigners to re-launch themselves into the orbit of stardom.

Here we take a look back at this season’s action and list out five seasoned campaigners who have been around for a long time but lost their shine on the way and used the IPL 2016 as their stage to perform. 

#1 Yusuf Pathan (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Yusuf Pathan finished the tournament with a massive average of 72.20

The big-hitting right-handed batsman was one of the biggest stars in the inaugural edition of the cash-rich tournament back in 2008. The 33-year-old was also an important member of the Indian limited-overs team then and was a member of the victorious World Cup 2011 squad.

However, the Baroda-born cricketer hasn’t played a single international match since 2012. He also struggled to justify his standards with his IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders. The 33-year-old cricketer also had a couple of disappointing seasons in domestic cricket. Pathan however, finished this year’s tournament with the second highest batting average behind Virat Kohli.

Yusuf was one of the key members of the KKR team which qualified for the playoffs in this year’s competition. In 15 matches this season, he smashed 361 runs at a jaw-dropping average of 72.20 and with an explosive strike-rate of 145.56. The big-hitter scored three superb half-centuries in the tournament.