Yusuf Pathan is the half-brother of Irfan Pathan, and has played in international cricket for India in the shorter versions of the game. He has been a part of the ODIs and the T20Is, while also having been an integral member of the Rajasthan Royals side under Shane Warne.

Pathan is a hard-hitter of the ball, and holds many quick-scoring records. This includes the scoring of the fastest half century in the first edition of the IPL, where he thrashed the Deccan Chargers with a 21-ball 50. He went on to perform exceedingly well in the first IPL and was one of the reasons why the Royals went on to win the tournament – he was even the man of the match in the finals.

Pathan made his T20I debut in the finals of the ICC World T20 against Pakistan and opened his account with a six. He also bowled one over and conceded only six runs before being taken off.

He was then selected in the ODIs, and scored a 29-ball 50 to lead India to win against England in the 2008 series.

Pathan also bowls fast off-spin and is often said to be a partnership breaker, something he did very frequently throughout the first edition of the IPL.

He was selected for the second edition of the ICC World T20 in England, but did not get too many opportunities. This was after his performances in the second edition of the IPL hadn’t lived up to the expectations that many people had from him after the first one.

His strike rate in the first class cricket for India is one of the highest, and that is one reason why he is the most sought after player for the T20I version of the game. However, he has yet to make his debut in the test matches, and it remains to be seen whether he can maintain the kind of consistency that would be expected of him in the lower-middle order of the 20 overs and 50 overs format.