Players who have played more IPL matches than internationals
As the Indian Premier League gears up for its tenth edition, there can be little doubt that it has given certain players a new lease of life. International stars who have represented their country have been able to continually play cricket at the highest level.
That has meant that there are a few established internationals, who have actually played more IPL matches than games for their country across all formats. In the interest of fairness and to segregate players who haven't really played a great deal for their country, only players who have played 50 internationals and 100 IPL matches have been considered.
Even under such conditions, there are seven players who have played far more IPL matches than internationals. The interesting point to note here is that all seven players are Indians and of them, five have represented India across all formats.
Here are 7 players who have played more IPL matches than internationals:
Robin Uthappa
With over 3,000 IPL runs to his name, Robin Uthappa is undoubtedly one of the success stories of the IPL. Yet despite his impressive track record in the tournament in which he has played 135 times for four different teams, he has represented his country in less than half as many matches.
Uthappa has never represented India in Tests but has played 46 ODIs and 13 T20Is for his country, the last of which came in 2015 against Zimbabwe. Yet his total of 59 international appearances pale in comparison to his 135 games in the Indian Premier League for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Pune Warriors, Mumbai Indians and his current team, Kolkata Knight Riders.
In fact, his international numbers across both ODIs and T20Is don't make as impressive reading when compared to his IPL form. He has 1,183 international runs to his name at an average of 25.71 where he averages nearly 30 in IPL with 3,390 runs to his name.
IPL matches | International matches |
|---|---|
135 | 59 |