In uncharted territory, the man scripted history, but his legacy was short-lived
In a cricket-crazy nation like India, 2008 will remain one of the most significant years. After all, it was 2008 when the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was held, which paved a new way for Indian cricket.
Today, if the Indian squad has such depth, it is because of the IPL, which went from cities to villages in search of new cricket talent. Speaking about talent, the IPL wasn't only about Indians but also players from other nations who got the chance to showcase their skills in uncharted territory.
One such player hailed from PAK, who put fear in the hearts of the batters and conquered the purple cap, only to never return. Banned forever from playing in the IPL, this is the tale of Sohail Tanvir, the IPL's first purple cap winner whose legacy has been forgotten.
In 2008, before India and PAK's relationship went completely haywire, players from PAK were allowed to participate in the inaugural edition of the IPL. Therefore, a 23-year-old long-haired Sohail Tanvir arrived at the auction, where Rajasthan Royals picked him.
The 23-year-old's first two matches weren't fruitful, but it was the third match against Chennai Super Kings when the long-haired disabled the CSK batting line-up singlehandedly. He picked six wickets by giving only 14 runs, which remained the IPL's best bowling figure until 2019.
In 2019, Alzarri Joseph picked six wickets for 12 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Mumbai Indians jersey.
To win the purple cap in the inaugural edition of the IPL, Tanvir scalped 22 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 12.09 and an economy of 6.46. He even had a strike rate of 11.20, which was the best among bowlers with over six wickets in the tournament.
Apart from picking crucial wickets throughout the tournament, Tanvir played a key role with the willow in the finale. Chasing a target of 164 runs, he added 21 vital runs alongside Royals' then-captain, the great late Shane Warne. In fact, it was Tanvir who hit the winning runs on the last ball of the innings to seal a victory for the Rajasthan Royals, the first champions of the Indian Premier League.
As diplomatic ties between India and PAK took a dip, players from PAK were banned from participating in the IPL. And with that decision, Tanvir's first-season wonders turned into a short-lived legacy that has been forgotten. However, credit must be given to that 23-year-old bowler who stunned the batters and Indian audience on uncharted territory in a new format, upholding his nation's bowling prowess in what was to become the world's biggest domestic T20 league.
On the international front, Tanvir played 71 wickets in 62 ODI games, whereas in T20Is, he picked 54 wickets in 57 games. Tanvir bid adieu to his international career in 2017.
