Divided by teams, United by blood
Seeing their child representing the country at the highest level is a proud moment for any parent. And when the younger sibling replicates the elder in attaining such success, it only gets better.
Cricket has seen many families giving generations of cricketers. Examples of brothers playing the sport are innumerable with those coming to mind being the Waughs, the Chappells, the Flowers, the Pathans and many more.
Here is an account of all the pairs of brothers who have featured in the IPL- a tournament aimed at increasing brotherhood by providing a global exposure to cricketers from all parts of the world.
Pathan brothers
Yusuf Pathan
Baroda-born cricketer Yusuf Pathan has to be one of the biggest finds of the Indian Premier League. Taking the inaugural season by storm, Yusuf had a huge role to play in Rajasthan’s journey to the title in 2008.
Playing under the inspirational leadership of Shane Warne, Yusuf showed the world what he was capable of, decimating bowling attacks with his attacking batting instincts. His part-time off-spin bowling was more than a handful and his spell of 3-22 in the final of 2008, coupled with his 39 ball 56, won him the Man of the Match award.
His batting exploits won him a handsome contract with KKR as he won 16 awards for the Man of the Match in his IPL career. In 2009, he scored a 37-ball century, the then record for the fastest century in the tournament.
Yusuf Pathan was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2018 auction and it will be interesting to see how much does the 35-year-old have left in him.
Matches: 149 Runs: 2904 Avg.: 29.63 SR: 145.49 50: 13 100: 1 W: 41 Avg.: 33.29 Eco: 7.33
Irfan Pathan
Unlike elder brother Yusuf, who burst on to the big stage at a later stage in his life, Irfan was a sensation since his U-19 days in 2003. Tipped as the next-big-thing in Indian cricket, he was selected to represent his country for his exemplary swing bowling skills.
When the IPL began in 2008, he was one of the most sought after cricketers, given his ability to add value with both bat and ball. Playing for the Kings XI Punjab, he achieved decent success in the IPL, producing two Man of the Match award winning performances. In the seasons post the 2010 season, his stocks dropped with his performance and he went on to play few matches each for CSK, DD, SRH, RPS and GL.
He was overlooked by franchisees in the 2018 auction, but as has been his case in the past few seasons, it will not be surprising to see him replace an injured player mid-season.
Matches: 103 Runs: 1124 Avg.: 21.62 SR: 120.21 Wickets: 80 Avg.: 33.11 Eco: 7.78