Famous Indian cricketers who settled abroad after leaving India

Saurabh Netravalkar. (Source – Getty Images)

While competition to move into the Indian national cricket team is immense, not every talented player gets an opportunity. With millions eyeing a spot, even the best of the cricketers often find themselves sidelined. As a result, several former domestic and junior-level stars have left India to pursue their dreams abroad. Notably, some even lifted the U-19 World Cup for India. Today, they represent other teams and play in foreign leagues.

The reasons why these cricketers leave their motherland can’t be counted on fingers, but a few prominent reasons include lack of opportunities in India, ignorance by the selectors, familial or personal concerns, and better chances or pay grades while playing abroad. In this article, CricTracker lists down a few of the most famous names who initially started their professional career in India, but moved to foreign lands a short while later.

Famous Indian cricketers who settled abroad to play:

7. Saurabh Netravalkar (USA)

Star USA pacer Saurabh Netravalkar made huge headlines with his performance and Indian connection during the 2024 T20 World Cup. Born in Mumbai — the city of dreams, he led India’s bowling attack in the 2010 U19 World Cup. However, with tough competition in Indian cricket, he chose academics and pursued a master’s degree in Computer Science at the prestigious Cornell University. A software engineer at Oracle, he continues to follow his passion for sport, playing for the USA national team.

After moving to the States in 2015, he captained the American team, earning them ODI status in 2019. In 2024, he became a national sensation after bowling a stunning Super Over to help the USA defeat Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. He is also the USA’s first bowler to take five-wicket hauls in both ODIs and T20Is. He also drafted his name in the IPL 2025 auction, but wasn’t picked by any of the franchises.

6. Smit Patel (USA)

Born in Ahmedabad, Smit Patel is a wicketkeeper-batter who now represents the United States. Patel was part of India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2012. His unbeaten 62 in the final, alongside skipper Unmukt Chand, guided India to a memorable victory. He began his domestic career with Gujarat and later represented Tripura, ending as their leading run-scorer in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy with 526 runs.

In 2021, Patel announced his retirement from Indian cricket to pursue opportunities in the Americas. Since then, he has featured in Minor League Cricket and teams like the Texas Super Kings and San Francisco Unicorns. The 32-year-old has hammered over 3,000 first-class runs and 11 centuries to his name. He is also a cricket writer for popular websites and has interviewed some cricketers as well.

5. Harmeet Singh (USA)

Indo-American cricketer, Harmeet Singh Baddhan, who now plays for the United States national team and the Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket had started his career in India at junior levels. The Mumbai-born bowling all-rounder, Harmeet, was once looked up to as the next Bishen Bedi by Dilip Sardesai for his spin style. He represented India in two U-19 World Cups and was part of the title-winning squad in 2012.

He played for Mumbai and Tripura in Indian domestic cricket, and was the top wicket-taker for the latter in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy. After moving to the USA in 2021, he captained Seattle Thunderbolts and became the first-ever draft pick in MLC history. Harmeet made his T20I debut for the USA in April 2024 and featured in the 2024 T20 World Cup. He is currently taking part in the Global Super League 2025 for Rangpur Riders.

4. Milind Kumar (USA)

USA all-rounder, Milind Kumar, is a Delhi-born cricketer and a solid right-handed batter and part-time off-spinner who played for Delhi, Sikkim, Tripura, and featured in the IPL for Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He topped the 2018–19 Ranji Trophy run charts with 1331 runs for Sikkim, which is not an easy feat at all.

After representing India Green in the Duleep Trophy, he moved to the USA in 2021, playing in Minor League Cricket and later for Texas Super Kings in the MLC as well. In 2024, he made his international debut for the United States against Canada in both ODIs and T20Is. Milind, once an ONGC employee, has now become an important all-rounder for the USA. He recently featured in MLC 2025, playing for the Super Kings, smashing 68 runs in three innings.

3. Siddharth Trivedi (USA)

Streets won’t forget Siddharth Trivedi – the former Rajasthan Royals pacer and India U19 star, who has now settled to the USA. Part of the inaugural IPL with the Rajasthan Royals, Trivedi made headlines with his performances. He represented India at the 2002 U19 World Cup and even trained in Australia under the Border-Gavaskar Scholarship.

However, after his playing opportunities in India began to decrease, the Gujarat pacer moved to the States. Trivedi first visited in 2019 for the Atlanta Premier League and was impressed by the passion for the game. In 2021, he joined the St Louis Americans in the Minor League Cricket as a player-cum-coach and is now associated with the American Cricket Academy and Club (ACAC).

2. Jaskaran Singh (Canada)

Right-arm pacer Jaskaran Singh Buttar, who was born in Mohali in 1989, once represented India U19, now for Canada. Jaskaran began his domestic career with Punjab and even featured for India A before playing in the 2009 and 2010 IPL seasons for Deccan Chargers, where he picked up six wickets in eight matches.

Despite inconsistent opportunities in India’s domestic circuit, he later focused on franchise cricket in North America, playing for teams like Montreal Tigers and Mississauga Panthers. In 2025, he made his T20I debut for Canada against Bermuda. So far, he has played 12 T20Is, picking 12 wickets and scoring 109 runs.

1. Unmukt Chand (USA)

Star batter, Unmukt Chand, was once considered the next big thing in Indian cricket, after leading the team to the U-19 World Cup win in 2012 with a captain’s knock of 111* in the final against Australia. The right-handed batter played for Delhi and India A, and also featured in IPL for Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians. Despite moments of brilliance, including multiple T20 tons, he never received a national call-up for the senior team.

In 2021, he retired from Indian cricket to move to the American land. The wicketkeeper-batter now represents the Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket and has also played in Australia’s Big Bash League and the Bangladesh Premier League. Notably, recently Netflix director Raghav Khanna announced a new documentary, Unbroken: The Unmukt Chand Story, reflecting the journey of the player.

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