Irfan Pathan Explains Why One Franchise Matters for Legacy

Irfan Pathan has reflected on how important it is to stick with one cricket team in order to have a lasting effect. The former India bowler, who played for many IPL franchises over his career, shared insights into how a player’s performance and reputation in the sport are influenced by their franchise allegiance.

Pathan began his franchise career with Punjab, where he played for three years. He believes that staying with a single franchise is essential for building a history. However, this is frequently not the case.

My first team was Punjab, where I played for three years. Punjab wanted me to continue in my fourth year, but they were unable to keep any players due to retention laws and other factors.

“Nobody was retained.” Irfan Pathan stated via JioStar.

The significance of franchise loyalty in developing a lasting legacy.

Irfan Pathan made an analogy to how organisations try to keep their finest players despite structural constraints. He used the Kolkata Knight Riders’ approach for fostering new talent as an example to demonstrate how even well-intentioned retention plans might fail due to unforeseen events.

“A player like Shubman Gill would have preferred to keep him. They cultivated and chose him first. However, there are situations when circumstances make it impossible to retain players,” Irfan Pathan explained.

The former all-rounder, who bowled quickly, emphasised the need of continuity and stability in a franchise career. Pathan advised players to prioritise long-term association with a single team over frequent roster changes.

“If you get the chance to stay with one franchise, let go of a few things, build your legacy, and stay with that team,” he added.

After leaving Punjab, Irfan Pathan became one of the few players to play for six different IPL clubs in his career, including the Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals), Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiant, and Gujarat Lions.