Yusuf Pathan

Former Indian cricketer and politician, known for explosive batting and a World Cup winner.

Yusuf Khan Pathan (pronounced [pəʈʰaːn] born 17 November 1982) is an Indian former cricketer and politician of the Trinamool Congress. He made his debut in first-class cricket in 2001/02 as a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off-break bowler. His younger brother, Irfan Pathan, was also an Indian cricketer. Pathan retired from all forms of cricket in February 2021. He was a member of the Indian team that won both the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 Cricket World Cup. As of June 2024, Pathan is a Member of Parliament from the Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency of West Bengal.

Quick Facts

Birth name: Yusuf Khan Pathan
Relatives: Irfan Pathan (brother)
Born: 17 November 1982
Birthplace: Vadodara, Gujarat, India
Party: Nationalist Citizens Party of India (2026–present)
Other party: Trinamool Congress (2024–2026)
Height: 6 ft 2 in / 1.88 m
Office: Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha

Lore & Background

Yusuf Pathan was born in Baroda, Gujarat, to a Gujarati Pathan family. He is the elder brother of Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan. He and Irfan did philanthropic work during the COVID-19 pandemic by distributing face masks. Yusuf married Mumbai-based physiotherapist Afreen Khan on 27 March 2013. They have a son together. He had been supporting 'YAIF' and its mission 'Youth Against Rape'. Pathan contested in the 2024 Indian general election from the Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency on a Trinamool Congress ticket and won, defeating incumbent Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of Indian National Congress by a margin of 85,022 votes.

Reader's Guide

Yusuf Pathan made his Twenty20 international debut in the final of the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 against Pakistan, scoring 15 runs. He made his One Day International debut for India against Pakistan in Dhaka on 10 June 2008. He scored his maiden ODI century (123 off 96 balls) against New Zealand on 7 December 2010, sharing an unbroken 133-run partnership with Saurabh Tiwary to chase 316 with seven balls to spare. In the 2010 Duleep Trophy final, he scored 108 in the first innings and an unbeaten 210 from 190 balls in the second, leading West Zone to a world-record successful chase of 536. In the IPL, he played for Rajasthan Royals (2008–2010), Kolkata Knight Riders (2011–2017), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (2018–2019). He scored the fastest IPL century (off 37 balls) against Mumbai Indians on 13 March 2010. On 27 October 2017, he was charged with an anti-doping violation for Terbutaline and received a 5-month suspension backdated to 15 August 2017.

Did You Know?

Yusuf Pathan scored a 37-ball century against Mumbai Indians in 2010, but it was not the fastest in IPL history—Chris Gayle's 30-ball century holds that record.
He was given out for obstructing the field in IPL 2013, but that was not the first such dismissal in Twenty20 cricket.
Pathan hit the fastest 50 in IPL history at the time (15 balls) on 24 May 2014.
He held the record for the fastest 50 in Ranji Trophy (18 balls) until October 2015.