3 Cricketers whose debut IPL Match turned out to be their last game

The 11th season of Indian Premier League is less than 20 days away. The excitement levels are already high with the reunion of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.

With more than 330 uncapped players, this is the biggest pool up amongst all IPL seasons. Even many veterans who are in the twilight stages of their careers would want to make a mark in this season. Few of those would be Shane Watson, Chris Gayle, Amit Mishra etc.

In the previous 10 seasons, we have seen many youngsters from various countries crop up and showcase their talent through IPL.

Their performance in IPL fetched them a spot in their respective International teams. The best examples would include Shaun Marsh, Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane etc.

We have seen many legends such as Michael Hussey, Daniel Vettori, Matthew Hayden give consistent performances for their respective IPL teams.

However, there are few players who couldn’t make a mark in IPL, despite getting an opportunity.

Let us look at three International Cricketers who’s Debut IPL game turned out to be their last ever IPL game.

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#3 Younis Khan

Younis Khan warmed the bench in the first 13 games in the inaugural season

Younis Khan needs no introduction, perhaps one of the best cricketers Pakistan has ever produced and a thorough gentleman of the game.

Known for his copybook style of batting and stylish stroke play, Khan was picked up by Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural edition of IPL for the price of $225,000.

Khan warmed the bench in the first 13 games of Rajasthan Royals without a hit. With semi-finals berth confirmed, the Royals tested their bench strength and the former captain of the Pakistan team finally got a chance to play against Kings X1 Punjab.

Batting first Kings put up a huge score of 221/3 in their allocated 20 overs, thanks to a brilliant century by Shaun Marsh (115 of 69 balls).

Chasing 222 runs to win, the Royals had a disastrous start to their innings losing their opener Mohammad Kaif in the very second over.

Khan walked out to the crease with a huge task ahead. He found it hard to rotate the strike and couldn’t get going.

He was dismissed on the fifth delivery of the fifth over for three when he tried to slog one towards the leg side of an in-swinger of Irfan Pathan, which rattled the stumps.

Rajasthan Royals lost the match by 41 runs. This was the last time Khan was seen in an IPL jersey.

#2 Andre Nel

Andre Nel played for Mumbai Indians in one game

Andre Nel would be best remembered for his eccentric behavior and sledging towards the opposition on the field.

The tall lanky fast bowler was picked up by Mumbai Indians as a replacement for Dwayne Bravo. He made his IPL debut against Delhi Daredevils at Feroz Shah Kotla in a day-night fixture.

Mumbai Indians were defending a score of 176 against a strong batting lineup of Delhi Daredevils that had the likes of Sehwag, Gambhir, Dhawan, Dilshan and Dinesh Karthik.

Mumbai got the priced wicket of Sehwag in the very second over. However, Gambhir and Dhawan batted along and kept the run-rate in check. By the end of four overs, Delhi were 38/1.

Nel was introduced into the attack in the fifth over and was greeted with disdain when Gambhir smashed him for a boundary and a six of his first two balls, giving him a taste of IPL.

However, the fast bowler had the last laugh when he dismissed the left-hander on the fifth ball of the over caught at deep mid-wicket.

Nel had a decent outing in the game with figures of 3-0-31-1 but couldn’t help his side as Mumbai Indians lost the game to Delhi, who chased the target of 176 with a ball to spare.

This was the last time the South African speedster was seen in IPL as he went unsold in the next season.

#1 Damien Martyn

Damien Martyn came in as a replacement for Graeme Smith

Perhaps one of the most stylish right-hander in world cricket and best known for beautiful cover drives, Damien Martyn had a scratchy end to his IPL career.

The former test star was picked up by Rajasthan Royals in the third season of IPL. He was recruited by Shane Warne, who was the captain of the Royals as a replacement for Graeme Smith.

It was a Royals clash at Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. Put into bat first, Rajasthan Royals were 27/1 when Martyn walked out to the crease.

He had a slow start to his innings and couldn’t accelerate with wickets going down at the other end. Martyn was dismissed in the 17th over of the bowling of Praveen Kumar for 19 runs of 24 balls.

Rajasthan Royals were dismissed for a poultry total of 92. In reply, Royal Challengers Bangalore chased the target without losing a wicket in 11 overs.

Martyn had a disappointing end to his IPL career and flew back home after this game.