IPL 2021: 5 pacers who can bowl the fastest ball in the season

The long-awaited Indian Premier League is finally here and had the best possible start as the game between RCB and MI went down to the very last ball. The first match is most likely just a sign of what we are going to witness this season. We have seen some express fast bowlers like Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada and Mitchell Johnson perform well in the league over the years, and the importance of having someone who can bowl at over 145 kph can not be underestimated. Such bowlers provide variety to the attack. Bowlers with extra pace can hurry up the batsmen and we will see several such bowlers this season as well. All the fast bowlers will have a mini-battle to bowl the fastest delivery of the campaign. Here’s a look at 5 bowlers who can bowl the fastest ball in IPL 2021: Anrich Nortje (Delhi Capitals) Anrich Nortje. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Anrich Nortje has been a terrific find for the South African team and has quickly established himself as a key player. His performances even earned him an IPL contract in 2019 when KKR picked him up, but injury ruled him out of the campaign. However, he got a second chance to show his skills in the IPL when he was roped in as Chris Woakes’ replacement by DC last season. He enhanced his reputation significantly as he picked up 22 wickets in 16 games at a strike rate of 16.63. His bowling partnership along with Kagiso Rabada was sensational for the Delhi Capitals and both of them terrified batsmen with their extreme pace and bounce. He bowled all four of the fastest deliveries last season including a ball at 156.22 kph against RR. Riley Meredith (Punjab Kings) Riley Meredith. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images) Riley Meredith is a fairly unknown commodity outside Australia, and he could be one of the surprise packages during the IPL this season. He has been performing well in the Big Bash League over the last couple of seasons and was picked up for a stunning Rs.8 crore by the Punjab Kings in the auction. He even made his international debut against New Zealand a month back and looked quite impressive as he picked up 4 wickets in three games at a strike rate of 16.5. In his T20 career, he has picked up 47 wickets in 37 matches at an economy rate of 8.02, while striking every 17.4 deliveries on average. Like most of his fellow countrymen, he has the ability to bowl at great pace and extract good bounce as well. He has shown in the Big Bash that he can bowl at speeds exceeding 145 kph with ease and he will be amongst the fastest bowlers in the IPL this season. Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals) Jofra Archer. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Jofra Archer is one of the best pacers in the world at present, and he has built a reputation for himself as one of the fastest bowlers as well. He bowled four of the 10 quickest deliveries last season and was breaching the 150 kph mark on a regular basis. Archer has a terrific bouncer and yorker up his sleeve while also possessing the ability to swing the ball at high speeds. He has made the most of his talent and even won the MVP Award last season when he picked up 20 wickets in 14 games at a strike rate of 16.7. His absence during the first few games will be a major loss for the Rajasthan Royals, given that he is their best bowler, but once he returns they will surely be one of the best teams in the league. A bowling combination with Chris Morris looks promising on paper and one can expect Archer to bowl some absolute rippers this season. Lockie Ferguson (Kolkata Knight Riders) Lockie Ferguson. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS) Lockie Ferguson is probably one of the most underrated pacers at present and he deserves a lot more recognition for the way he plays for New Zealand. He has been extremely important for them over the last couple of years with his pace during the middle and death overs. Despite not playing a whole lot of matches, he was still able to get himself into the top 5 fastest deliveries of IPL 2020 as he bowled one at 153.84 kph. He breached the 150 kph mark on several occasions as well. Ferguson picked up six wickets in five games at a strike rate of 19.83 while conceding at less than 7.5. He might not get to play many games, but he will still be amongst the top contenders, as even a couple of games would be enough for him to try and bowl the fastest delivery. Adam Milne (Mumbai Indians) Adam Milne. (Photo Source: Twitter) Adam Milne is yet another underrated fast bowler from New Zealand, but unlike Lockie Ferguson he has gone under the radar because of lack of playing time due to injury. He has struggled with quite a few injuries, but has shown positive signs in the recent games that he has played. He even made his comeback for New Zealand against Bangladesh as he picked up three wickets in the two T20Is. In 5 IPL games thus far, he has picked up four wickets at a strike rate of 28 while conceding at just over 9.7. He has great pace and can even touch 150 kph on occasion. Although Marco Jansen started over him and even Nathan Coulter-Nile, he will definitely come into the team at some stage during the tournament and he will be among the top contenders to bowl the fastest delivery.

Topics

Featured Section

Current Series

Cricket Fantasy Tips

Cricket Stats

IPL Teams

ICC Rankings

Interviews

Twitter Reactions

Cricket Appeal

Social Tracker

More Links

# Follow Us

Other Sports

IPL 2021: 5 pacers who can bowl the fastest ball in the season

Here’s a look at 5 bowlers who can bowl the fastest ball IPL 2021

Lockie Ferguson (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Latest Articles

T20 World Cup 2024: SL's predicted playing XI against NED

T20 World Cup 2024: PAK vs IRE, Match 36 Highlights

T20 World Cup 2024: Match 39, NZ vs PNG Match Preview