Lendl Simmons
The Trinidadian opener who powered West Indies to two T20 World Cup titles.
Lendl Mark Platter Simmons is a Trinidadian cricketer who played internationally for the West Indies, known as a right-handed batsman and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler. Born on 25 January 1985, he was named after tennis icon Ivan Lendl. His uncle is former West Indian Test cricketer Phil Simmons.
- Role
- Opening Batsman
- Nationality
- West Indian
- Batting Style
- Right-handed
- Status
- Former Player
- Debut Season
- 2014
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Simmons' franchise career saw significant success outside of Kolkata. In April 2014, he was signed by the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL), replacing Jalaj Saxena to help a team that had lost its first four matches. On 22 May 2014, he scored his maiden IPL century, guiding Mumbai to a 7-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab. During the 2015 season, an injury to Aaron Finch allowed Simmons to open with Parthiv Patel; together they formed a dangerous pair averaging over 50, leading Mumbai to their second IPL title. He also played a major role in their third title win in 2017 after opening following Jos Buttler's departure for international duty. His time there ended when he remained unsold in auctions from 2018 onwards.
In Their Own Story
In August 2014, while traveling between games for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League across the USA, Simmons faced a bizarre interruption. US customs officials stopped him because his bat attracted their attention; they apparently believed it was being used to smuggle illegal drugs. As a consequence of this suspicion, the officials drilled several holes into his bat. Despite such off-field oddities and on-field inconsistency in Test cricket—where his highest score remained 49 against Pakistan—he found massive success in shorter formats. His career-best first-class score of 282 came in January 2009 for West Indies A against a touring England XI, which heralded his Test debut where he scored 24 and 8 in a series-clinching draw.
Reader's Guide
For franchise cricket enthusiasts, Simmons offers a tale of T20 mastery rather than Test longevity. While he failed to make an impact in Tests, scoring only two ODI centuries (122 against Bangladesh and another against Ireland in the 2015 World Cup), his T20 credentials are undeniable. Beyond the IPL, he dominated the Global T20 Canada tournament in June 2018 as the leading run-scorer with 321 runs in eight matches for the Winnipeg Hawks. He also played for the Brampton Wolves in 2019 and was named in the Trinbago Knight Riders squad in July 2020. In Pakistan's league, he played for Karachi Kings in the first edition, later moving to Peshawar Zalmi and Lahore Qalanders. His domestic journey continued into Legends League cricket with Bhilwara Kings and Gujarat Giants in 2023.
Did You Know?
- Simmons was named after tennis icon Ivan Lendl.
- His uncle is former West Indian Test cricketer Phil Simmons.
- US customs officials once drilled holes into his bat, suspecting it contained illegal drugs.
- He scored a career-best first-class score of 282 against an England XI in January 2009.
- Simmons was the leading run-scorer in the inaugural Global T20 Canada tournament with 321 runs.