Rating the 10 best bowlers in IPL history

The Indian Premier League (IPL) commenced in 2008 with opinions floating around the globe that it would destroy the game, more so, the bowlers. The format had too much audacity they felt, which threatened the gentlemanly status this game has carried for so long. Field restriction laws and sizes of bats started having the adverse impact which some experts promised, the game was threatened. Yet, we have all grown up listening to the tales of wars that were won with odds never in their favor. The bowling community faced a threat with this format, that was true without a question, but some bowlers fought against the odds and came out triumphant from the Ashes of words written by everyone who didn’t want the format. Celebrating some of these amazing bowling talents, here’s the list of the 10 best bowlers the IPL has witnessed under its roof. 10. Piyush Chawla- 6.5 Kolkata Knight Riders Piyush Chawla celebrates fall of Rahul Tripathi’s wicket. (Photo by Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS) One of the most underrated cricketers in the Indian Premier League, Piyush Chawla could not muster a lot of respect as his statistics actually reflect. But that doesn’t take away a fact that he has been consistently picking wickets no matter which club he represents in this tournament and he had the best of his time with KKR. Chawla spent the first three seasons with Punjab before moving to Kolkata in the 2011 edition. No one can forget the almost-decisive six he hit off Mitchell Johnson in 2014 final and also the winning runs. He played a huge part of their title-winning campaign in 2014 under Gautam Gambhir’s leadership. Chawla is one of the four bowlers in IPL right now with more than 150 wickets to his name and has a reasonable economy of 7.81. After spending some memorable seasons with the KKR, Chawla was released by the club a few days back ahead of the 2020 edition. 9. Dale Steyn- 7 Dale Steyn. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS) One of the greatest speedsters of all time, Dale Steyn never had the privilege to lay his hands on an IPL trophy, but he has been one of the greatest bowlers this tournament has witnessed. Constantly with the new ball, he picked some big wickets for Deccan Chargers and Sunrisers and played a prolific role in Sunrisers’ outrageous bowling rendition in the 2013 season. He had a different way of approaching the shortest format and preferred bowling short-of-the-length rather than hitting the blockholes consistently. He has been more than reasonably successful in that endeavor, apart from the few occasions when he was torn apart by his South African counterpart AB de Villiers. A stat to back his position in this list – He’s the only fast bowler in IPL history with an economy under 7 (Minimum 25 wickets). He picked up 96 wickets in 92 matches at an average of 24.73 and a strike-rate of 21.93. His appearance with the Royal Challengers Bangalore last could perhaps be his last in the tournament. 8. Harbhajan Singh- 7.5 Harbhajan Singh. (Photo: IANS) Harbhajan Singh devoted himself to the Mumbai Indians for the first 10 editions, before he moved to the enemy camp in 2018 (Chennai Super Kings). One of the finest spinners India ever produced, Bhajji was an influential figure in helping Mumbai get out of their bad first two seasons and start asserting dominance from 2013. Not just statistically, Harbhajan Singh kept bowling crucial overs for the Mumbai Indians on a regular basis. He first won the IPL title in 2013, then went on to win three more times, twice with Mumbai in 2015 and 2017, once with Chennai Super Kings in 2018. He’s not just been an important member, but also a lucky charm for the side he plays. Harbhajan has 150 wickets to his credit in 160 games and that record could’ve been much better if his form had not dipped in the last couple of seasons. He also has an impressive economy of 7.05 and a strike-rate just under 23. 7. Jasprit Bumrah- 8 Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo Source: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) A man well capable of heading towards the apex position in this list in a few years time, Jasprit Bumrah is the greatest bowler in the world currently across all formats. Touted as the successor to the great Lasith Malinga, Bumrah has been mastering the art of death bowling with his uniquely weird action and unparalleled accuracy. Bumrah has been with the Mumbai Indians since 2013 and has won four titles with them. In his very first over for the club on debut, he dismissed his future Indian captain Virat Kohli and that laid the pathway for one of the finest careers in Indian history. His stats in the tournament would not appear very impressive, but he’s bowled some crucial overs in Mumbai’s triumphant campaigns in 2017 and 2019. He has 82 wickets to his name in 77 games and that tally is only expected to get better. 6. Ravichandran Ashwin- 8 Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) Hailing from Tamil Nadu, Ravichandran Ashwin definitely must’ve wanted to play for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, not just because of the hometown allegiance, but also the presence of a certain MS Dhoni. Life did turn out to be kind as he was signed by the Super Kings in the inaugural season, but started making his mark from the 3rd season. Ashwin soon was roped into the 2011 World Cup squad and he became the most important member of the Indian Test side. In the Indian Premier League, he was Dhoni’s most prolific wicket-taker in the middle overs and courtesy his exploits, they won the IPL twice in 2010 and 2011. Ashwin parted ways with CSK in 2018 and was signed by Kings XI Punjab. After two seasons with them as the captain, he now will be joining Delhi Capitals in the 2020 edition. In 139 matches, Ashwin has picked up 125 wickets and is one of the most influential figures in CSK’s dominant history. 5. Sunil Narine- 8.5 Sunil Narine of KKR celebrates a wicket. (Photo Source: Twitter) The Kolkata Knight Riders’ fate changed when they signed Gautam Gambhir in the 2011 auction, this is the general perception. It’s true to a great extent that he had a huge impact on the club with his leadership, but one of his greatest weapons in wars was the player they signed from the Caribbean in 2012 – Sunil Narine. It was not a coincidence that the team won their first title the season Narine arrived. With his unplayable trickery and unmatched calmness in pressure situations, Narine was the man Gambhir depended on and he delivered the goods more often than not. Gambhir and Narine easily qualify as the most influential players in the history of the 2-time champions hailing from the east. Narine also contributed profusely with the bat in the last few seasons after turning an opener. With the ball, he’s picked up 122 wickets in 110 games and has the best economy among the top 40 highest wicket-takers (6.67), on level terms with Muttiah Muralitharan (Economy of 6.67 with 63 wickets). 4. Amit Mishra- 8.5 Amit Mishra. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) When the format arrived fresh and new, experts believed the art of leg-spin win die a painful death. As it turned out a decade later, leg-spinners like Rashid Khan went for INR 9 Crore in the IPL auction as they’re the ones who bring about a difference in the game. Among all those amazing leg-spinners this tournament witnessed, it’ll be hard to match the class of Amit Mishra. With his slow and mysterious leg-breaks, Amit Mishra flighted his way out of trouble and could perhaps be the best bowler in the middle overs in IPL history. He’s represented the Delhi Daredevils, Deccan Chargers and the Sunrisers Hyderabad and is the only player to have picked up a hat-trick for three different teams. The second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament’s history, Amit Mishra has picked up 157 wickets in 147 games at an economy of 7.35 and a strike-rate under 20. Without debates, he has been the best spinner this tournament has seen although his quality has diminished in the last few seasons. 3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar- 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar. (Photo Source: Twitter) A bowler whose career started with Royal Challengers Bangalore, became famous at the Pune Warriors India and turned a legend with the Sunrisers Hyderabad – Bhuvneshwar Kumar has enough talent in the world to perhaps stand on top of the pile after a few seasons. Bhuvneshwar has been the pillar of Sunrisers’ bowling attack in their many successful campaigns. A two-time purple cap winner in 2016 and 2017, a title winner in 2016 and finalist in 2018 – Bhuvneshwar expanded his horizons from being a new ball specialist to a trustable death overs master, making him a complete bowler in the limited-overs format. He also benefitted heavily in Indian colours courtesy this experience. In 117 matches he’s played in this tournament, he’s picked up 133 wickets and is the seventh-highest wicket-taker of all time. There is a very good chance he will rise much higher in these rankings over the coming years. He also has a very impressive economy of 7.24 and a strike-rate just under 20. 2. Dwayne Bravo- 9 Dwayne Bravo celebrates a wicket. (Photo Source: Twitter) A man who knows how to dance and also how to pick wickets, Dwayne Bravo has been majestic with the ball for the Chennai Super Kings for a longer duration than any other cricketer. He is second only to Lasith Malinga in the list of best death bowlers in this tournament and is the fifth-highest wicket-taker of all time. Bravo firstly represented Mumbai Indians, but it is his spell with the Chennai Super Kings from 2011 that earns him a spot on this list. An important member of their title-winning outfit in 2011 and 2018, also the many times they reached the finals in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2019 – Bravo also holds two purple caps to his credit. With 147 wickets in 134 matches at an economy just over 8 and a strike-rate less than 18, Dwayne Bravo’s statistics speak for itself. The Caribbean legend has another couple of seasons left in him perhaps and will continue playing a pivotal role in the CSK setup. 1. Lasith Malinga- 9.5 Lasith Malinga. (Photo Source: Twitter) Without a doubt, the finest bowler this tournament witnessed has to be Lasith Malinga. The Sri Lankan, with his deadly Yorkers and unflappable hunger for success menaced many batting units and his four overs ended up being a nightmare for the opposition on most occasions than the rest. He is also a four-time champion with the Mumbai Indians. One could also state that he is the finest player Mumbai Indians ever had the privilege to witness. He bowled many important death overs for them and whenever there was a threat, he was the captain’s go-to bowler. Despite bowling so many of these tough overs, his career economy is just 7.14, which speaks volumes of the genius he is. At a bowling average under 20, Malinga picked up a whopping 170 wickets in 122 games for the club. He holds the best strike-rate in IPL history (16.62) for any bowler with more than 40 wickets to his name. A match of his like shall never be found again in this tournament unless Jasprit Bumrah has greater plans than what he already has.

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Rating the 10 best bowlers in IPL history

The tournament has been lucky enough to witness some outstanding bowlers over the years.

7. Jasprit Bumrah- 8

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