It did raise quite a few eyebrows, when Irfan Pathan went unsold in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. Not many in the cricketing fraternity could believe that the all-rounder would actually be out of the IPL bandwagon.
But that did happen. And soon after the snub, the India discard went for a vacation, perhaps to heal the wounds, and return afresh.
And now, the Vadodara-based cricketer is all set to return to the IPL bandwagon, this time for the Gujarat Lions. After its West Indies recruit Dwayne Bravo was ruled out of the IPL on Sunday, the franchise has quickly roped in Pathan in a bid to bolster its all-round attack.
After hearing from the Gujarat Lions side on Sunday, the 32-year-old cricketer has already joined the team in Benagluru, ahead of its fixture against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday. Pathan, who has signed a contract with the franchise, agreed that he is raring to go.
READ: Gujarat Lions' Jason Roy hints at leaving IPL mid-way
Though there was still no official missive from the franchise, but the team sources confirmed to Sportstar about the development. The team source said that after Bravo’s exit, they were looking for someone who would be able to play the all-rounder’s role, and that's where Irfan fitted the bill.
Plagued with injuries, the Gujarat side is yet to find its mojo in the IPL so far. While the bowling department has let it down, the side also missed out on the services of its key player Bravo. Even Ravindra Jadeja missed out on a few games. And on Monday, it was also learnt that its English recruit Jason Roy was planning to leave the IPL mid-way, to play for his county side.
With nothing going its way in its last year in the IPL, the Gujarat Lions will hope for Pathan to fire. With a vast experience in the shortest format of the game, the younger Pathan too will have a point to prove!
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