It's that time of the year again when the best cricketers from around the world face off in the Indian Premier League -- the world's best T20 league.
The tournament over 13 years has witnessed some of the best cricketing action. While T20 is primarily a batsmen-dominated format, the bowlers have evolved over the years and left a mark with their clever innovations.
Sri Lanka pace sensation Lasith Malinga holds the record for the most IPL wickets with 170 wickets in 122 games.
Can you guess the bowler in the second spot? It's not any of the big names, it is veteran leg-spinner Amit Mishra with 160 wickets from 150 games. Another leggie, Piyush Chawla, is third with 156 scalps to his name.
Check out the top 10 bowlers (by wickets):
| Player | Teams | Games | Wickets | Average | Economy Rate | 4I |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lasith Malinga | MI | 122 | 170 | 19.79 | 7.14 | 7 |
| Amit Mishra | DCh, DD, SRH | 150 | 160 | 24.16 | 7.34 | 4 |
| Piyush Chawla | KXIP, KKR | 164 | 156 | 27.32 | 7.87 | 2 |
| Dwayne Bravo | CSK, GL, MI | 140 | 153 | 24.82 | 8.40 | 2 |
| Harbhajan Singh | CSK, MI | 160 | 150 | 26.44 | 7.05 | 2 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | CSK, KXIP, RPS | 154 | 138 | 26.81 | 6.87 | 1 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | PWI, SRH | 121 | 136 | 23.91 | 7.23 | 3 |
| Sunil Narine | KKR | 120 | 127 | 24.77 | 6.77 | 7 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | MI, RCB | 99 | 121 | 22.50 | 7.67 | 2 |
| Umesh Yadav | DD, KKR, RCB | 121 | 119 | 30.07 | 8.51 | 2 |
A bowler's impact in T20 cricket is gauged by his economy rate. The lesser the economy rate, the higher the demand for the bowlers.
No wonder then that Afghanistan's spin sensation Rashid Khan is the most sought after bowler in T20 leagues around the world. His economy rate in the IPL is an impressive 6.24 in 62 games played for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
India's spin legend Anil Kumble is second with 6.57, closely followed by Sri Lankan great Muttiah Muralitharan with 6.67.
Top 10 Bowlers (By Economy) (minimum 100 overs):
| Econ | Overs | Player | Teams | Mts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.24 | 246 | Rashid Khan | SRH | 62 |
| 6.57 | 160.5 | Anil Kumble | RCB | 42 |
| 6.67 | 254 | Muttiah Muralitharan | CSK, KTK, RCB | 66 |
| 6.77 | 464.1 | Sunil Narine | KKR | 120 |
| 6.78 | 129.3 | Daniel Vettori | DD, RCB | 34 |
| 6.87 | 538.2 | Ravichandran Ashwin | CSK, RPS, KXIP, DC | 154 |
| 6.87 | 109 | Washington Sundar | RPS, RCB | 36 |
| 6.91 | 362.4 | Dale Steyn | RCB, DCh, SRH, GL | 95 |
| 6.91 | 115.4 | Johan Botha | RR, DD, KKR | 34 |
| 7.02 | 154.4 | Rahul Sharma | DCh, PWI, DD | 44 |
Overall, there have been 19 instances of hat-tricks in the IPL.
Amit Mishra holds the record for most hat-tricks with three to his name, while all-rounder Yuvraj Singh is second with two hat-tricks.
Most Hat-Tricks:
| Bowler | For | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Amit Mishra | DD, DCh, SRH |
| 2 | Yuvraj Singh | KXIP |
Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Sunil Narine and Malinga hold the record for the most four-wicket hauls in IPL with four each.
Most 4-Wicket hauls in IPL
| Bowler | For | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Sunil Narine | KKR |
| 7 | Lasith Malinga | MI |
| 4 | Andrew Tye | GL KXIP RR |
| 4 | Lakshmipathy Balaji | CSK KKR KXIP |
| 4 | Amit Mishra | DCh DD SRH |
| 4 | Ravindra Jadeja | RR KTK CSK |
| 4 | Kagiso Rabada | DD DC |
The best bowling figures in the IPL belongs to little-known West Indian pacer Alzarri Joseph, who took an amazing 6/12 for the Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2019.
Pakistan's Sohail Tanvir (2008) and Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa (2016) are the only other two bowlers to have taken six wickets in an innings.
Best Bowling Figures
| Bowler | For | Against | Venue | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6-12 | Alzarri Joseph | MI | SRH | Hyderabad | 2019 |
| 6-14 | Sohail Tanvir | RR | CSK | Jaipur | 2008 |
| 6-19 | Adam Zampa | RPS | SRH | Visakhapatnam | 2016 |
| 5-5 | Anil Kumble | RCB | RR | Cape Town | 2009 |
| 5-12 | Ishant Sharma | DC | KTK | Kochi | 2011 |
| 5-13 | Lasith Malinga | MI | DD | Delhi | 2011 |
| 5-14 | Ankit Rajpoot | KXIP | SRH | Hyderabad | 2018 |
| 5-16 | Ravindra Jadeja | CSK | DC | Visakhapatnam | 2012 |
| 5-16 | James Faulkner | RR | SRH | Hyderabad | 2013 |
| 5-17 | Andrew Tye | GL | RPS | Rajkot | 2017 |
MI=Mumbai Indians; DC=Delhi Capitals; RR=Rajasthan Royals; RCB=Royals Challengers Bangalore; KKR=Kolkata Knight Riders; SRH=Sunrisers Hyderabad; CSK=Chennai Super Kings; KXIP=Kings XI Punjab; GL=Gujarat Lions; RPS=Rising Pune Supergiant; KTK=Kochi Tuskers Kerala; DD=Delhi Daredevils; DCh=Deccan Chargers; PWI=Pune Warriors India.
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