Irfan Pathan becomes first Indian to sign up for CPL players’ draft

All-rounder Irfan Pathan on Thursday became the first Indian to be included in the Caribbean Premier League’s players’ draft, a development that could make him the only Indian man to play in an overseas T20 league.

It remains to be seen if he gets a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the BCCI, which has maintained a tough stance in not allowing Indian cricketers to participate in T20 leagues such as BBL, CPL and BPL.

The players’ draft for CPL 2019 was announced on Thursday with Irfan being the only Indian in the list.

CPL’s official website posted the final list of players who have signed up for the player draft.

“Prior to the draft, each franchise will have the option to retain and/or acquire a maximum of six players, although there is no obligation to do so,” CPL announced on its website.

“The fact that so many players have registered for our draft is a testament to the stature of our league. Playing cricket in the Caribbean is something that all players look forward to, and the CPL combines that allure with a high standard of cricket. We expect that this year’s tournament will be no different,” said CPL Tournament Operations Director Michael Hall.

Irfan has not been a part of the Indian Premier League in the previous two seasons. In 2017, the Baroda all-rounder played just one game for Gujarat Lions while in IPL 2016, he played four games for Rising Pune Supergiants. If selected, the 34-year-old will be the first Indian player to play in CPL.

Irfan has represented India in 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20Is, picking up a total of 301 wickets. He has also scored over 2,800 international runs.

The likes of Alex Hales, Rashid Khan, Shakib al Hasan, Jofra Archer and JP Duminy have put their names forward for the draft along with Caribbean stars such as Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope.

Each franchise has the option of retaining or acquiring a maximum number of six players, although there is no obligation to do so.

A record 536 players from 20 overseas countries and the West Indies have been included in CPL 2019 players’ draft.

Two year’s ago, Irfan’s elder brother Yusuf could not play in the Hong Kong T20 League after failing to get NOC from BCCI.