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

If Irfan Pathan gets selected, he will be the first Indian player to play in Caribbean Premier League

Veteran left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan becomes first Indian cricketer to be included in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) players' draft. However, it is yet to be seen if he gets a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the BCCI as the apex cricket board 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 hasn't been a part of the Indian Premier League in the previous two seasons. In 2017, he 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.