The Indian Premier League is the biggest cricket tournament in the world, and one prime reason for this is that this is the only league where fans see their favourite Indian players. The Indian fans and market are huge, which is why the demand for an Indian in a franchise tournament is very huge.
But the BCCI has made a rule that an Indian player who is centrally contracted is not allowed to feature in an overseas league. The player can feature in overseas leagues after retirement only. That’s why it is very rare to see an Indian cricketer playing in the overseas league. Dinesh Karthik recently joined an overseas league as a player. In this article, we will talk about five Indian cricketers who joined the overseas league.
Read Also:- WTC Final 2025 Schedule
Five Indian players who featured in the Overseas T20 Leagues
1. Ambati Rayudu in CPL
Former Indian star Ambati Rayudu was the first Indian retired player to feature in an overseas league. He made his debut in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in the 2023 edition. The St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots signed him as a marquee player. But unfortunately, Rayudu featured in three games and left the tournament due to personal reasons. He scored 47 runs at 15.66 and a strike rate of 117.50 in three matches for the franchise.
2. Robin Uthappa in ILT20
Former Indian star Robin Uthappa announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on 14 September 2022. And just after retiring, he joined the International League T20 for the 2023 edition. He was signed by Dubai Capitals. Uthappa featured in nine games and scored 218 at an average of 24.22 and a best of 79. That was the only season that he played in that league. After that, Uthappa was seen in the leagues of retired cricketers.
3. Yusuf Pathan in ILT20
Not just Uthappa; former Indian all-rounder Yusuf Pathan also made his debut in the International League T20 for the Dubai Capitals. He was signed by the franchise for the 2023 edition and played ten matches for them. Yusuf played 57 ODIs and 22 T20Is for India and retired in 2021. He was part of RR and KKR (twice) IPL winning teams and scored 4852 runs and 99 wickets in the IPL. Yusuf only played one season in the ILT20.
4. Suresh Raina in Abu Dhabi T10 League
Former Indian superstar and “Mr. IPL” Suresh Raina was also part of an overseas league. He played in the 2022 edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 League. He was signed by Deccan Gladiators. Raina announced his retirement from all forms in 2022. He played 205 IPL games and scored 5528 runs with one century and 39 half-centuries. For India, he has played 18 Tests, 102 ODIs, and 78 T20Is, scoring close to 8000 international runs.
See Also: ICC Cricket World Cup 2027
5. Dinesh Karthik in SA20 2025
Dinesh Karthik made his debut for India in 2004 and played 26 Tests, 94 ODIs, and 60 T20Is in his career. Karthik played for 6-7 teams in the Indian Premier League. He announced his retirement from all forms after the IPL 2024, and RCB signed him as the mentor for the IPL 2025. But he is back as a player, and this time, he will be featuring in the next edition of the South Africa T20 League (SA20 2025). Rajasthan Royals’ sister franchise Paarl Royals have signed him for the coming edition.
