10 India-born cricketers who are now a part of the UAE cricket team

By V. Chhabria Apr 2, 2021, 16:22 IST
10 India-born cricketers who are now a part of the UAE cricket team

The United Arab Emirates is one of the most important centers in world cricket. Although the UAE cricket team has not achieved much success at the international level, UAE has played host to several crucial fixtures over the last few decades. Also, the ICC headquarters are in Dubai. Several India-born cricketers have been a part of the UAE cricket team.

UAE team qualified for the Cricket World Cup in 1996 and 2015. In the 2015 edition of the tournament, many fans came to know how cricketers from various parts of Asia shifted to the UAE and started playing international for the Emirati cricket team. They were successful in the Qualifiers and even made their presence felt during the World Cup. 

Here’s a look at ten India-born cricketers who played cricket for the UAE team. 

1. Krishna Chandran 


All-rounder Krishna Chandran was a part of the 2015 Cricket World Cup team of UAE. Chandran had taken three wickets in the warm-up match against Australia. 

So far, the pace-bowling all-rounder has played 12 ODIs for UAE. Very few fans would know the Kollengode-based player also represented Kerala in the domestic circuit. 

2. Ansh Tandon 

Ansh Tandon is a 19-year-old cricketer. He was born in New Delhi but later moved to the United Arab Emirates. 

Tandon received his maiden international cap against the Saudi Arabia cricket team in February 2020. The left-handed batsman also played in the Emirates D20 tournament. 

3. Alishan Sharafu 

Alishan Sharafu is yet another India-born youngster who is now a part of the UAE team. Sharafu was born on January 10, 2003 in Kerala. 

The right-handed batsman opens the innings for the UAE side now. He has played in one ODI and five T20Is. 

4. Basil Hameed

Kozhikode-born middle-order batsman Basil Hameed made his international debut for UAE in December 2019. He has played seven ODI and four T20Is so far. 

Hameed is a middle-order batsman, who can also bowl off-breaks. He has scored 154 runs and picked up one wicket for the Emirati squad in ODI cricket. 

5. One of the few India-born cricketers who played in T10 League - Vriitya Aravind 


Chennai-born wicket-keeper batsman Vriitya Aravind has played eight ODIs and five T20Is for the UAE. He was also a part of the Pune Devils team in the T10 League. 

Aravind is a right-handed batsman, who has a 70+ strike rate in both ODIs and T20Is. Last year, he participated in the Emirates D20 tourney. 

6. Chundangapoyil Rizwan

Yet another entry from Kerala on this list is C Rizwan. The 32-year-old first played cricket for the Kerala Cricket Association XI. 

He later switched to the United Arab Emirates. Rizwan has represented the Emirati nation in 11 ODIs and five T20I fixtures. 

7. One of the few India-born cricketers who played as foreign player in IPL - Chirag Suri 


Many Indian fans would know Chirag Suri. The opening batsman is the only UAE player in history to earn an IPL deal. 

The Gujarat Lions had signed him in 2017, but they did not give him a single game. Suri, born in New Delhi, has played 17 ODIs and 12 ODIs for UAE. 

8. Laxman Sreekumar 

Laxman Sreekumar was born in Nattakom, Kerala. The 33-year-old is a right-handed batsman who has played four ODI matches and one T20I for the UAE team. 

Sreekumar got out for a golden duck in the only T20I match of his career. He has aggregated 61 runs in four ODI matches at an average of 15.25. 

9. Swapnil Patil 


Born in Vadavali, Thane, Swapnil Patil realized his dream of playing international cricket after moving to the UAE. Patil has scored two half-centuries in ODI cricket. 

The 35-year-old player is a right-handed batsman, who can keep the wickets. Patil was a member of the UAE squad for Asia Cup 2016. 

10. Vikrant Shetty 

Another India-born cricketer based from Maharashtra who played for the UAE cricket team is Vikrant Shetty. The 37-year-old represented UAE in the 2014 T20 World Cup. 

Shetty is a middle-order batsman, who can bowl right-arm off-spin. He represented UAE in two ODIs and two T20Is. 

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