IPL: 5 famous players you didn't know were once a part of Kochi Tuskers Kerala

So far, thirteen franchises have played in the cash-rich Indian Premier League, of which five are now defunct. Out of these five franchises, the Deccan Chargers are the most successful with one title and one knockout stage finish. The Kochi Tuskers Kerala were one of the five franchises which are no longer in the IPL fraternity.

They hold the dubious record of being the only side to have played just one IPL season- the 2011 IPL after which they were terminated by the BCCI. Several international cricket stars played or were a part of the Kochi franchise.

Let us now look at five famous players you might not know were in the Kochi Tuskers side in the 2011 IPL.

#1 Steve Smith

Tha Australian batsman has played for five different franchises in the IPL- the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Pune Warriors India, Rajasthan Royals, and Rising Pune Supergiant.

One of the finest batsmen of this generation, Smith was bought by the Kochi Tuskers Kerela in the 2011 IPL auctions at his base price of $200,000. However, he had a forgettable season with Kochi as he did not get an opportunity to don the Orange jersey for the entire fourth season.

Unfortunately, the talented batsman spent even his first ever IPL stint with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (2010) on the bench after being signed as a replacement to the injured New Zealand all-rounder, Jesse Ryder.

After the termination of the Kochi franchise, he went into the 2012 IPL auctions where he found no buyers. But he was later signed by the now-defunct Pune Warriors India as a replacement to the injured Australian all-rounder, Mitchell Marsh.