10 foreign players who have achieved cult status in IPL

Over the years, the IPL has given birth to the reputations of some legendary T20 players. Those players, the big-bucks purchases, the darlings of their franchises have since acquired cult status, some of them embracing and defining the very fabric of their team’s culture, style of playing and spirit. These players have also been responsible, to a large extent, for the fortunes of their teams.While most of them have played in T20 leagues around the world, given the IPL’s stakes, the crowds, the interest levels and the following in a cricket crazy nation, it would be safe to say that these players will always remain associated with their IPL team’s names. What is interesting is that players like Chris Gayle have failed for other teams while being supremely successful for one particular team, cementing their status at that franchise with distinction.There have been players like Ross Taylor and Sohail Tanvir who lit up one edition of the IPL and missed out narrowly from this list. There were others who have always managed to pack their A Game as they flew for the IPL across seasons.Please note that the order isn’t in any way reflective of the player’s cult status.

#1 AB de Villiers - Royal Challengers Bangalore

395 runs at a strike-rate of 158 in 2014. 360 at 164 in 2013. 319 at 161 in 2012.

That’s AB de Villiers’ stats for RCB in the last three years. He has an almost cult following in India, leave alone RCB. But at RCB, the South African ODI captain has played some of the most outrageous innings and shots the cricket world has ever seen. His strike-rate is astronomical, but his runs tally isn’t as much as it should be simply because he has largely been used as a finisher for RCB, something AB’s fans have never been happy with.

Nevertheless, when it comes to de Villiers, it is not the quantity of runs but the manner in which they were scored that remains in memory. That manner is genius and ruthless at the same time.