5 leagues where Indian and Pakistani cricketers play together
Indian and Pakistani cricketers rarely play against each other these days. There was a time when India and Pakistan would compete in bilateral series regularly. However, due to off-field reasons, the cricket boards of the two nations have not organized any bilateral matches between the two arch-rivals in recent years.
Players from India and Pakistan only cross paths at multi-nation tournaments. Neither the Indian Premier League (IPL) allows participation from Pakistan nor the Indian cricketers participate in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
However, not many fans would know that there are some leagues in the world where Indian and Pakistani cricketers play together. Here's a list of five such leagues.
#1 Abu Dhabi T10 League
Abu Dhabi T10 League happened a few months ago in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Cricketers from different parts of the world competed in the fastest format of the game.
The league featured several retired Indian cricketers like Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Stuart Binny, and Abhimanyu Mithun. Squads of Abu Dhabi T10 League even consisted of Pakistani cricketers. Raina played for the Deccan Gladiators featuring Pakistan's young fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain.
Harbhajan Singh was teammates with Khushdil Shah and Imad Wasim, while Stuart Binny shared the dressing room with Wahab Riaz.
#2 Legends League Masters
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Legends League Masters is an annual T20 tri-series featuring retired cricketers from different nations. Three teams, namely India Maharajas, Asia Lions, and World Giants participate in this competition.
The second edition of the LLC Masters will take place in Qatar soon. Big names like Irfan Pathan, Robin Uthappa, Sreesanth, Shahid Afridi, and Misbah-ul-Haq have been confirmed to play in the competition.
#3 Lanka Premier League
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) launched their own T20 league in 2020. The inaugural season of Lanka Premier League featured multiple cricketers from India and Pakistan.
Prominent names like Irfan Pathan, Manpreet Gony, Munaf Patel, Mohammad Amir, Shahid Afridi, and Azam Khan participated in the Lanka Premier League.
#4 Nepal T20 League
Nepal has emerged as one of the fastest-growing cricketing nations in Asia. Nepalese leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane has played in various T20 leagues across the world and even Nepal now has its own T20 league, named Nepal T20.
Former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez was one of the star attractions in the competition. Hussain Talat was another name from Pakistan in the tournament. India's Abhimanyu Mithun represented the Pokhara Avengers team.
#5 Caribbean Premier League
Caribbean Premier League is the top T20 tournament in the West Indies. Veteran Indian leg-spinner Pravin Tambe participated in the 2020 edition of the CPL. Apart from Tambe, some former Indian domestic players like Smit Patel, Sunny Sohal, and Saurabh Netravalkar have earned CPL contracts since moving to the USA.
Several big names from Pakistan have participated in the CPL as well. In the most recent edition of the league, Azam Khan, Mohammad Amir, Qasim Akram, and Imad Wasim represented the CPL franchises.
Reports have claimed that UAE's new ILT20 will feature Pakistan players from next season. It will be another addition to this list as India's Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan are playing in the ongoing ILT20 season.