Full list of Zimbabwe players who have played in IPL history ft. Blessing Muzarabani

Royal Challengers Bangalore roped in Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani for INR 75 lakhs as a replacement for South African pacer Lungi Ngidi on Monday. Ngidi will leave for South Africa after the league stage of IPL 2025 to join the Proteas squad for the preparation of the World Test Championship final against Australia. The replacement will be effective from 26th May 2025.

RCB’s last game against KKR at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium resulted in a washout, but the one point that they collected helped them earn their qualification for the playoffs. To fill Lungi Ngidi's shoes, the Red Army have placed their bet on the Zimbabwe pacer, who has played 70 T20 internationals so far for his national side. 

With that acquisition, he has become the first Zimbabwe player to be picked in this season of the Indian Premier League. A Zimbabwe player getting picked by a franchise in the Indian Premier League is a rarity. However, there have been a total of five players who have participated in the Indian Premier League.

In this article, we take a look at the full list of Zimbabwe players who have played in IPL history: 

1. Tatenda Taibu 

Former Zimbabwe skipper, Tatenda Taibu was the first ever Zimbabwe player to play in the Indian Premier League. Kolkata Knight Riders signed him for INR 50 lakh ahead of the 2008 IPL season. He played three matches in the 2008 edition, scoring 31 runs at an average of 10.33. The franchise didn’t retain him next season, and Taibu never got a chance to play again in the cash-rich league. 

2. Ray Price: 

After KKR, the Mumbai Indians franchise invested in another Zimbabwe player named Ray Price in the 2011 season. He wasn’t initially picked in the auction but was signed as a replacement player for Moises Henriques. He played once that season, returning with figures of 0/33 in three overs. That was the only game he played in the Indian Premier League. 

3. Brendan Taylor: 

Brendan Taylor is hailed as one of the greatest batters ever to play for Zimbabwe. He was once picked in the IPL by Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of the 2014 edition. He was roped in for an amount of INR 30 lakh. Unfortunately, the Zimbabwe batter didn’t get the chance to showcase his batting talent and was released by the franchise next season. 

4. Sikandar Raza 

Zimbabwe’s all-rounder Sikandar Raza is the only Zimbabwe player who has played more than one season in the Indian Premier League. Punjab Kings roped him in ahead of the 2023 season. Raza played seven games that season and scored 139 runs, including one half-century. With the ball, he also picked three wickets. Punjab retained him next season, but the Zimbabwe all-rounder also managed to make two appearances. 

5. Blessing Muzarabani 

On Monday, fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani became the fifth Zimbabwe player to be picked in the Indian Premier League. Royal Challengers Bangalore has signed him as a replacement player for Lungi Ngidi. The franchise is yet to provide an update on Josh Hazlewood and, thus, there is a slight chance that Blessing Muzarabani might play for RCB in the business end of the tournament.