Over the years IPL has become one of the most preferred T20 leagues in the World and not only the Indian players but the overseas players too have become familiar faces. It is no doubt some of the overseas players have been dominating the league ever since their first appearance. While the game has been biased towards the batsmen in recent times, few bowlers have been proving that to be wrong on a consistent basis.
With the IPL knocking the doors. Cricwizz takes a look at the five overseas bowlers who could shine at the upcoming IPL season.
1) Rashid Khan
One of the few Afghani players to play the League, Rashid Khan is no stranger to the tournament. The 21-year old sensation has already made his mark in the International stage and has already been compared to the greatest men to have played the game. With such a potential at a very young age, SRH would be really happy to have bagged him in the auctions 2017 where he is now a regular in the team.
The Right-Hander made all justice to his price tag by finishing as the sixth highest wicket-taker and more noticeably maintained a stunning economy. Apart from bowling, Rashid has also shown his skills with the bat and his ability to score some important runs at the end makes him a valuable asset to any team.
The leggie has played 46 matches in the IPL and has claimed 55 wickets at an exceptional strike-rate of 19 and mind-blowing strike-rate of 6.20. He has the best figures of 3/19 to his name.
2) Pat Cummins
Being bought at the auctions for a whopping 15.50 crs he now holds the record for the most expensive foreign player ever in the tournament. It is no doubt that the price tag on the Australian would mean he would be someone the whole cricketing world will be watching. No pressure on him right?
The 27-year old Speedster has been climbing up the rankings with every game he plays due to his exceptional bowling and KKR will be hoping his return to the team after 5 years would prove to be fruitful. Cumimins had his best season in the IPL when he was playing with the Delhi Capitals in 2017, picking up 17 wickets in the 16 matches he played.
The RIght- Hander is relatively inexperienced in the IPL as his stats would suggest as compared to his International experiences. It has mostly to do with his injuries and international duties. He has played 16 matches in the IPL and claimed 17 wickets at a strike-rate of 21 and economy of 8.
3) Dale Styen
(The South-african Speedster played only one match in the last season of IPL due to an injury. But, in his latest interview stated that he is fully fit and raring to go. For years Steyn has been one of the most valued players by Virat kohli and this time he will be surely wanting to make an impact which is definitely capable with the potential he possesses.
The 37-year old has played 92 matches in the IPL and is 4 shy of 100 wickets. He has a considerably good economy of 6.77 and strike-rate of 21.94. The proteas pacer has best figures of 3/8 to his name in the IPL.
4) Jofra Archer
Yes, We are indeed discussing Rajasthan Royals and not England. The third English player to make the list is the sensation Jofra Archer. The 25-year old was bagged for a whopping 7.20 crs in 2018 and he hasn't disappointed the franchise ever since and has done all justice to his price tag. He managed to claim 15 wickets in his debut season for the franchise. With the IPL initially scheduled to take place from March 29th.
The all-rounder was ruled out of the league with an elbow injury, but with the IPL being postponed and now to take place in September, it is all good news for Archer and the franchise. Archer has played 21 matches in the IPL and picked up 26 wickets at an stunning strike-rate of 16. Though he hasn't yet made much impact with the bat, he does possess a great ability to clear the ropes.
5) Kagiso Rabada
The sensational South African pacer was all over the headlines in the last IPL after he ended up the second highest wicket-taker in the league only one wicket behind the purple cap winner Imran Tahir. But, what is intriguing is that The 25-year old played five matches less than the CSK spinner due to a back injury. It would be a different story if the pacer played a few more matches.
If he can repeat the feat again in this season or even somewhere close to it, the opposition teams could have a difficult time in playing him off as he would be spearheading the bowling for Delhi Capitals.
The Right-arm bowler has played 18 matches in the IPL and has 31 wickets in his bag at an Jaw-dropping strike-rate of 13.
Cover Credits: CircleofCricket
