5 Cricketers With Special IPL Performances After Retirement From International Cricket

Indian Premier League (IPL) has made many careers. It has served as a ladder for a lot of cricketers to break in to the national teams. And young cricketers have targeted to give their best in the IPL to find a place in the national team. Apart from that, the lucrative tournament, has also been a platform where cricketers have revived their career. And at time some retired cricketers have shown that they have still not lost touch with their performances.

Let us have a look at five cricketers who produced special performance in IPL after retiring from International cricket:

1. Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly was arguably the finest Indian captain. He took over the captaincy reigns in a controversial situation and helped the national team grow with his ‘never say die spirit’. Ganguly will be celebrated for his captaincy skills which overshadowed his batting prowess. He knew how to back players, give them direction and pick up young talents and place them at the right position. He was the pioneer for the aggressive brand of cricket.

The southpaw retired with a brilliant average in Tests and ODIs. He scored 7212 runs in the longest format at an average of 42.17 and also notched up 11363 runs in the ODIs at an average of 41.02. Ganguly scored over 100 half-centuries in his successful international career.

2. Michael Hussey

Michael Hussey, emerged late as an international cricketer, but went to distance and had a highly successful career. For his in-depth knowledge, contribution to the sport and flawless technique, Hussey was nicknamed ‘Mr. Cricket’.

Hussey made his ODI debut against India in 2004. He went on to score 5442 runs in the format at an average of 48.15. In Tests, he played 79 matches, scoring 6235 runs at a brilliant average of 51.52. He has also achieved the feat of scoring the fastest 1000 runs in the longest format of  the game. He called time on his short but successful career in the year 2012.

Following his retirement, he played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) between 2008 to 2013 before joining Mumbai Indians and later returning to play for Chennai again. In this time, he scored 1977 runs in the IPL at an average of 38.76 and a strike rate of 122.64. He was also the most run scorer in the 2013 edition of IPL with 733 runs.

3. Shane Watson

Shane Watson called time on his international career in 2016 after 14 years but continued to ply his trade in overseas franchise leagues across the globe. Watson is a boon to have in a side and perfectly fits in the group of veterans who form the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) line-up. The advantage with Watson is he can contribute with the bat at the top of the order and also return to pick up crucial wickets in the middle-overs.

Watson has been an integral part of the Chennai franchise. He has scored 3575 runs at an average over 31 and picked up 92 wickets at an economy rate inside 8.

4. Muttiah Muralitharan

Muttiah Muralitharan has been one of the greatest players ever to don the Sri Lankan jersey. He had an international career span of almost 20 years, and the veteran off-spinner hung his boots from all forms of cricket after the 2011 World Cup where Sri Lanka lost the final to India.

After his retirement, the spin wizard played for three IPL sides — Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). During his time in the lucrative tournament, he played 63 matches and picked up 66 wickets at an average of 26.92.

5. Adam Gilchrist 

Adam Gilchrist was the legend of the game but the never had the cloud around him and made everyone felt special. Before MS Dhoni broke into the international circuit, the Australian great was regarded highly for his wicket-keeping skills. Gilchrist held the record for most dismissals by a wicket-keeper in ODIs until Kumar Sangakkara surpassed him.

After retirement, he plied his trade in the IPL and also led Deccan Chargers to an IPL triumph in 2009. He amassed 2069 runs in 80 matches at an average of 27.22 and strike-rate of 138.39.