The Indian Premier League has been dominated by batsmen over the years, as crowds have roared each huge six and stylish four. Know the best bowlers in IPL history of all time
Despite this batting dominance, numerous bowlers have managed to stamp their imprint on the tournament over the years. Pacers and spinners have changed continually to keep up with the trends in an era of tiny boundaries, huge bats and field limits.
Often, the difference between two teams packed full of big hitters is the quality of the bowling attack. When it comes to setting the odds on IPL games, bookmakers and bettors alike have to consider which bowlers will be playing, as an experienced wicket taker or extremely economical middle overs bowler can be enough to tilt the balance in an ultra-competitive league.
The Top Five Best Bowlers Of All Time In IPL History Ranking List
In producing this list of the best IPL bowlers of all time, we have had to look at more than just statistics. For example, spin bowlers usually operate during the middle overs, at a time when batsmen are at their most sedate. Naturally, all the bowlers on this list have good statistics, but they’ve also offered something more, that is the ability to turn a match and to perform consistently over many years.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the leading wicket-taker among Indian pacers in IPL history, deserves to be on this list. For several years, the Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer has been the captain of his team’s attack, and he is one of the few bowlers in the IPL who has been given this honor.
In the powerplay, Bhuvneshwar has been almost impossible to master, and his yorkers have been astonishingly accurate at the end. He has 142 wickets in 132 games at an average of 25.44 and an economy rate of 7.35. He always gives his team four overs in the most difficult situations. This ability to bowl in the powerplay and at the death is much prized by IPL teams. Many bowlers have mastered one or the other skill, but few have excelled at both quite as effectively as Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Amit Mishra
Amit Mishra has taken 166 wickets at an average of 23.95 and an economy rate of 7.35 in 154 games in the history of the IPL. The veteran leggie has more IPL wickets than any other spinner, and he beats out the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Piyush Chawla to make this list, both for his superior record and his much-admired bowling technique.
Mishra has always been a traditional leg-spinner, relying on flight and deception to take wickets, qualities that are increasingly rare in the modern game. He’s carved out a niche for himself as a traditionalist who is also incredibly effective at inducing batsmen to make mistakes. His record is exemplary. Mishra has taken double-digit wickets in all but two seasons and has three IPL hat-tricks on his resume.
Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh has been a stellar performer for the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in the IPL throughout the years. The charismatic off-spinner has 150 wickets in 160 games for an economy rate of 7.05, but it isn’t only his stats that help him to make this list. Harbhajan has always been a larger-than-life cricketer and has made many match-winning contributions in the IPL.
Harbhajan has kept most opposition batters in check throughout his career, despite the fact that he has often been used in the powerplay. He boasts the third-best economy rate among all bowlers with over 100 games played, and his wicket-taking output is high enough to beat out the likes of Ashwin. Not only that, but as a feisty lower-order batsman, he has often added impetus and fight to the line-up.
Sunil Narine
On pure wickets taken, Sunil Narine would not be worth a place on this list, but how can we possibly leave him out? The West Indian mystery spinner changed the way spinners bowled in T20 cricket. In his prime, he was one of the most dangerous Twenty20 bowlers that the world had ever seen.
Narine was a force to be reckoned with during his first few years in the IPL, bamboozling batsmen with his carrom balls and pace in the air. Although issues with his action have limited his use of the carrom ball, Narine remains one of the first names on the Kolkata Knight Riders’ team sheet.
Narine has an astonishing economy rate of 6.77, the best among all bowlers who have played more than 100 games. In his four IPL seasons, he has never given up more than eight runs per over and has taken over 15 wickets four times.
That isn’t the end of his contributions to the IPL. Like Harbhajan, Narine has shown a useful ability with the bat, but his contributions have been much more significant, often opening the batting with explosive firepower as a pinch hitter or coming in lower down the order to accelerate his team’s scoring.
Lasith Malinga
Last, but definitely not least, is one of the IPL’s greatest and most distinctive fast bowlers. Lasith Malinga is the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL history with 170 wickets in just 122 games at an average of 19.8 and an economy rate of 7.14. Dwayne Bravo has overtaken him in the wicket-taking stakes but has played over 30 more games than Malinga. Arguably, Malinga is the greatest fast bowler the IPL has ever seen.
The Sri Lankan speedster, who was unstoppable with his yorkers and slower balls, was possibly the most significant player in most of the Mumbai Indians’ title successes. Malinga was impossible to play at his peak. Even as his speed slowed with age, he adapted superbly to remain a formidable opponent. Malinga is no longer a part of the tournament, having retired last year, but he is likely to remain on this list of all-time greatest bowlers for many years to come.
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