Given below is a list of the top 5 bowlers in IPL, wicket-takers, and their records. The stats cover the IPL seasons from 2008-2019.
No. 1 – Lasith Malinga
Known fondly as ‘Slinga Malinga’, the Sri Lankan fast bowler is a three-time championship winner and a world-class bowler. He is known for his unique round-arm action, sometimes described as a sling action. Hence, the nickname. He has explained that it is the result of learning to play cricket with a tennis ball. He will be part of the action in the twelfth season - IPL 2020 – as a bowler only. He has played 122 matches and 122 innings and taken 170 wickets. Total overs – 471.1
Average: 19.80
Strike rate: 16.62
Economy: 7.14
4 wickets in an over: 4
5 wickets in an over: 1
Team: Mumbai Indians
No. 2 – Amit Mishra
An attacking bowler (right arm – leg break) known for his consistency, Sharma is also a tail-ender batsman. Delhi Capitals bought him for the 13th IPL season. In Season 6 (April 2013), he took a hat-trick playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Pune Warriors India, becoming the first player in IPL history to take three hat-tricks. For his 2013 performance, he was named in the Cricinfo IPL XI. His most useful contributions were in the lower order. He debuted in 2008, and his bowling has been evolving since then. He has played 147 matches, 147 innings, taken 157 wickets, and bowled 516.5 overs.
Average: 24.19
Strike rate: 19.75
Economy: 7.35
4 wickets in an over: 3
5 wickets in an over: 1
Team: Mumbai Indians
No. 3 – Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh Plaha, often called simply Bhajji or Bhajju Pa, plays all forms of cricket. He is a specialist spin bowler who has the second-highest number of Test wickets by an off-spinner, just behind Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan. He was part of the World Cup-winning team in 2011. He has been part of IPL since 2008. Thanks to his bowling, Mumbai Indians tasted victory in their first Twenty20 title. The Turbanator, as he is also known, played a key role in India’s 2011 world cup win.
In 2009, he received the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honor. In terms of statistics, he is India’s best off-spinner. Harbhajan is a dependable match-winner when in form. He knows how to inflict damage with the ball and is a big hitter occasionally. In the latter half of his career, Harbhajan has been quite successful in the IPL, playing a major role in the success of Mumbai Indians, who won the title thrice. After a long association with the Mumbai franchise, he was bought by Chennai Super Kings.
Average: 24.19
Strike rate: 19.75
Economy: 7. 35
4 wickets in an over: 3
5 wickets in an over: 1
Team: Delhi Capitals
No. 4 – Piyush Chawla
One of the few players who formed part of the World Cup- winning teams both in the T-20 and the ODI formats. His crafty googly has blindsided many batsmen and is his most formidable weapon. Despite his talents with the bat and the ball, he has not seen much success with the bat so far. One of the most successful bowlers in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL),
Piyush Chawla has played well both for Kings XI Punjab, with whom he spent six seasons and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) - who have had him since they bought him in 2014. Piyush is third in the list of highest wicket-takers in IPL, just behind Lasith Malinga and Amit Mishra. Though KKR has many quality spinners, Piyush has managed to hold his own. The fact that the franchise retained him by using their 'right to match' option in 2018 speaks a lot about his importance to the team. Now he is part of CSK. Chawla played 157 matches and 156 innings, took 150 wickets and bowled 520.4 overs.
Average: 27.14
Strike rate: 20.82
Economy: 7.82
4 wickets in an over: 2
5 wickets in an over: 0
Team: Chennai Super Kings
No. 5 – Dwayne Bravo
Trinidadian all-rounder, Dwayne John Bravo, has played all formats of the game and plays league cricket for Chennai Super Kings and Quetta Gladiators. Bravo is a right-handed batsman, and bowls right-arm medium-fast pace. His batting is aggressive in the middle order, and he is known for his "at the death" bowling. He can bowl at a variety of lengths. He is also a singer. Dwayne Bravo was with Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League for the first three seasons. During the 2011 season, he played for CSK. In 2012, he was one of the top-performing IPL players, scoring 461 runs at an average of 57. His strike rate was 178. Bravo played 134 matches and 131 innings, took 147 wickets and bowled 431 overs.
Average: 24.60
Strike rate: 17.59
Economy: 8.39
4 wickets in an over: 2
5 wickets in an over: 0
Team: Chennai Super Kings
Cover image credits: Cricket Addictor
