When it comes to one of the entertaining formats of cricket, T20 cricket is the one that strikes the head. And if playing T20 cricket was an art, IPL would’ve been the Picasso of it. The glitterati tournament is susceptible to an array of records that amuses the fans in numerous ways. And if there’s a hero in a story, there should be a victim. A member who is found on the wrong side of the record books.
With the increase in competition, the cricketers are bound to adopt new techniques to survive among the fittest. As the overs get reduced, it’s the bowlers who suffer to a greater extent.
The new-age batters have adopted fancy and unorthodox methods to score runs which makes the bowler go under the pump. One of those instances was caught in the recent encounter between the Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians when Arshdeep Singh was taken aback for 66 runs in just 3.5 overs.
The left-arm pacer had a great outing the previous time he faced MI but was on the receiving end of belting this time around in the reverse fixture. Eventually, the stint from the Punjab-based pacer turned out to be the fifth most expensive in the history of IPL. Having said that, we look at the top five stints by a single bowler who leaked the most runs in an IPL match.
#5 Arshdeep Singh (1/66 in 3.5 overs)
The Punjab Kings pacer was bashed for 66 runs in just 3.5 overs recently against the Mumbai Indians. After batting first, PBKS was asked to bat first by Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma and set a total of 214 runs on the board.
In reply, Sharma’s men chased it down with six wickets and seven balls to spare as Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav went berserk at the IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, and spanked the PBKS bowlers all around the park. In the process, Arshdeep Singh was one of those names who wasn’t spared. Even Tim David and Tilak Varma who followed in the lower-middle order helped in scripting history.
Arshdeep could extract just four dot balls out of the 23 he bowled and went for an economy of 17.22. Currently, Arshdeep is the leading wicket-taker for the Punjab Kings and is also the third-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2023 with 16 scalps from ten matches.
#4 Mujeeb Ur Rahman (0/66 in 4 overs)
In IPL 2019, Afghan spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman was on the receiving end of some serious belting against the Sunrisers Hyderabad as he went for 66 runs from the four overs and failed to grab a wicket as well. The finger-spinner used to represent Punjab Kings then who won the bidding war with Delhi Capitals in the 2018 IPL auction and claimed him for INR 4 Cr.
On that unfortunate day, Sunrisers Hyderabad led by Kane Williamson batted first and posted 212 runs on the back of a sensational 81 off 56 balls from David Warner. The pair of Mohammad Nabi and Williamson blistered 26 runs off the final over from Mujeeb which included three maximums and a boundary.
The uncanny spinner went on to pick only three wickets from five games that season and the management of the Punjab-based franchise took the decision to axe the spinner from the remaining games in the season. Two years later, Mujeeb was found to represent the Orange Army under the leadership of Williamson.
#3 Ishant Sharma (0/66 in 4 overs)
Ishant Sharma had a great IPL 2013 barring the match against Chennai Super Kings
In IPL 2013, Ishant Sharma was tonked apart by the Chennai Super Kings batters at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. He spurted 66 runs from the four overs bowled and ended the match wicketless.
It was the first time that SRH was participating in the glitterati competition and was belted away for 223 runs by CSK. Michael Hussey recorded a half-century and Suresh Raina fell short of a ton by a single run in that particular match. During the chase, SRH stumbled and collapsed for just 146 runs, handing a 77-run victory to MS Dhoni’s men.
The Delhi-based pacer represented Sunrisers Hyderabad from 2013 to 2015, taking 19 wickets in 23 games. Although he was torn apart by Raina and Hussey in that match, Ishant snapped 15 wickets in the edition which is personal best in terms of most wickets scalped in a season of IPL.
#2 Yash Dayal (0/69 in 4 overs)
It hasn’t been too long since Gujarat Titans’ pacer Yash Dayal was on the receiving end of a serious spanking from the bat of Rinku Singh of the Kolkata Knight Riders. He drained 69 runs off the maximum overs that are allowed in T20 cricket in the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
Batting first, the Hardik Pandya-led side managed to post 204 runs on the board. During the chase, 29 runs were needed in the final over for KKR to seal the deal and after a first-ball single from Umesh Yadav, Rinku blasted off five consecutive sixes against the left-arm pacer to steer his side past the finishing line in a dramatic style.
Although it was a moment of magic for the Knight Riders, it wasn’t any rosy for the bowler. The bowler was dropped from the side after the match and it was later confirmed that Dayal has a high fever due to heat and would be looking to return to full health.
#1 Basil Thampi (0/70 in 4 overs)
Basil Thampa went for 70 runs in 4 overs against RCB in IPL 2018
Basil Thampi, a bowler who was known for his slingy-arm action was torn left and right by Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2018 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Winning the toss, David Warner, the skipper of SRH had opted to bowl first. RCB racked up 218 runs on the board courtesy of explosive batting from AB de Villiers (69 runs off 39 balls), Moeen Ali (65 runs off 34 balls), and Colin de Grandhome (40 runs off 17 balls).
The right-arm pacer went for an economy of 17.50 and was mainly thrashed by de Villiers, Ali, Grandhome, and Sarfaraz Khan.
The Kerala-based pacer represented the Kavya Maran-co-owned franchise from 2018-2020 and later was roped in by Mumbai Indians for IPL 2022 where he bagged five wickets in as many matches.