5 Best Bowling figures in IPL history
In the 15 editions of the Indian Premier League, batsmen dominating the bowlers has been a very common sight. Shorter boundaries, better quality bats and acute focus by the batsmen on power hitting have made the IPL, just like T20 cricket overall more of a batsman’s game.
But there have also been moments in the tournament, although not very many, when bowlers have emerged on top, rattling the opposition batsmen. Taking full advantage of a small window of opportunities, bowlers have completely outplayed the batsmen and made the opposition suffer. And these moments have in turn brought the bowlers under the spotlight in what is predominantly a batting-friendly atmosphere.
In this article, we take a look at the five top bowling figures in the history of the Indian Premier League –
#5 Jasprit Bumrah (5/10)
In the 56th league match of Indian Premier League 2022, one saw such a bowling performance from Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah. This was one of his best bowling performances; nonetheless, this was also the fifth-best bowling performance in IPL history.
Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Mumbai Indians by 52 runs in order to keep their campaign alive. Mumbai Indians lost the match, but Jasprit Bumrah bowled a brilliant spell, and he won the Player of the Match award as well.
Jasprit Bumrahs scalped five wickets by conceding just 10 runs in his quota of ten overs. He took the wickets of Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sheldon Jackson, Sunil Narine and Pat Cummins.
#4 Anil Kumble (5/5)
Kumble bagged five wickets in 19 balls in the 2019 IPL
Anil Kumble was in the twilight of his cricketing career when the IPL took off as a premier T20 competition across the world. In his latter days, Kumble continued to be keenly involved in the IPL despite holding not much experience in the format.
Bringing in tons of experience, Kumble was a standout bowler in the tournament even in the short time that he played. And on one such occasion, Kumble showed why he has always been a potent threat with the ball when on April 18, 2009, he registered figures of 3.1 overs, 1 maiden, and 5 wickets for 5 runs for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in a match against the Rajasthan Royals. Defending a moderate total of 134, Kumble came into his own, completely derailing the Royals run-chase.
With the wickets of Yousuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Shane Warne, Munaf Patel and Kamran Khan, Kumble helped his team bundle out the Royals for 58 — the second-lowest total in the history of the IPL. Even though Rahul Dravid was adjudged Man of the match in that game for his heroic 66, Kumble’s spell, one of the best in the tournament, was what turned the match in RCB’s favor.
#3 Adam Zampa (6/19)
Spinners have been crucial weapons for teams in the IPL. Amid all the slam-bang action by the batsmen, spinners often control the game, getting the opposition’s run rate down and chipping in with wickets at crucial junctures. And on May 10, 2016, Adam Zampa was in the spotlight after the leggie, playing for the now-defunct Rising Pune SuperGiants franchise registered astounding figures of 6/19 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Visakhapatnam.
Rattling the Sunrisers, Zampa spun the ball beautifully to bring the opposition batsmen down to their feet. With the wickets of Kane Williamson, Yuvraj Singh, Moises Henriques, Deepak Hooda, Naman Ojha and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Zampa completely destroyed the SRH middle order, restricting them to 137 for 8.
Although then, in a dramatic turn of events, the SuperGiants lost the match by 4 runs, due to a combined team effort by the Hyderabad bowlers. Even though Pune lost that match, the spell by Zampa in that match found a place in the history books and is currently the third-best ever in the history of the competition.
#2 Sohail Tanvir (6/14)
Sohail Tanvir held the record for 11 years
Although Pakistan players now do not feature in the IPL, the inaugural edition in 2008 was an exception. One Pakistan cricketer who made a mark in that edition was left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir, who claimed figures of 6/14 for Rajasthan Royals in a group stage match against the Chennai Super Kings.
Tanvir dismissed Parthiv Patel, Stephen Fleming, Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan, Albie Morkel, Muttiah Muralitharan and Makhaya Ntini, Tanvir crippled the CSK batting order as the visitors were bowled out for 109 in Jaipur on May 4, 2008. With not much to do in the chase, Rajasthan went on to win the match by 8 wickets and 34 balls remaining. Tanvir shot to fame in the first edition itself and held the record for the best figures in the IPL for 11 years.
Tanvir played 11 IPL matches taking a total of 22 wickets. He played a big role in the Royals winning the first edition of the tournament under Shane Warne’s captaincy and also walked away with the purple cap for the most number of wickets in the tournament in 2008.
#1 Alzarri Joseph (6/12)
Alzarri Joseph had a fairytale start to his IPL stint, as the Antigua-born youngster created history on April 6, 2019, by registering the best bowling figures ever in the tournament in his debut match. Playing for Mumbai Indians, Joseph wreaked havoc on the Sunrisers Hyderabad in a group game, registering figures of 6/12 — which now stand as the best bowling figures in IPL history.
Chasing a moderate 137, Sunrisers found themselves caught in the Joseph storm, as the 23-year-old completely decimated the hosts in their own backyard. During his breathtaking spell, Joseph bagged the wickets of David Warner, Vijay Shankar, Deepak Hooda, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Siddarth Kaul, eventually ending with figures of 3.4 overs, 1 maiden, 6 wickets for 12 runs.
Due to the masterclass from Joseph, Sunrisers Hyderabad was bundled out for 96 in 17.4 overs, losing the match by 41 runs. Unfortunately after two more games, Mumbai Indians had to do without the services of the youngster, after he was ruled out of the tournament with an injury in only his third match for the franchise.