7 Bowlers With Highest Number of Wickets in IPL History
The Indian Premier League is home to some of the finest bowlers from around the globe who come together every year to compete for its orange cap trophy. Take a journey through its rich history and discover who have been its most prolific wicket-takers!
Piyush Chawla of Uttar Pradesh has amassed an incredible 179 wickets over 181 matches, playing for top teams such as Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians.
Harshal Patel
Patel made headlines this season for taking 29 scalps during an IPL season – surpassing Jasprit Bumrah’s record by an Indian bowler! Inspired by Glenn McGrath and using various slower balls to get wickets. Patel excels at using the crease and creating angles against batsmen to force them into making mistakes with his game plan.
He completed his IPL 2021 campaign in style against Kolkata Knight Riders by taking two wickets and equaling Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Dwayne Bravo and Delhi Capitals fast bowler Kagiso Rabada’s IPL 2013 total of 32 wickets with his final performance against them in the Eliminator.
Harshal Patel has been recognized for his impressive domestic season with Royal Challengers Bangalore by being selected by India to play against New Zealand in their second T20I, beginning Friday (October 12) in Ranchi. Patel took two wickets during his debut match to help restrict them to just 147/7; now, India are looking forward to continuing this momentum throughout this tournament and hope he continues to play an integral part. Mohammad Siraj praised Patel and offered advice; Harshal said teamwork is key.
Dwayne Bravo
The Indian Premier League is one of the world’s most beloved and successful sports leagues, first founded in 2008 and steadily increasing in popularity ever since. Since its creation, it has established a global following as it continues to introduce various formats that appeal to various audiences and fans. One constant has remained: fierce competition among teams and players.
Dwayne Bravo, a West Indian cricketer who has gained immense prominence in T20 cricket, has distinguished himself through street smart play in T20 tournaments. Renowned for his adaptability in different situations and bowling ability in late innings overs, Dwayne is known to make an impressionful T20 presence.
He employs a unique action that allows him to control how and where the ball bounces, frequently leading to him getting wickets against some of the top batsmen in the game.
Bravo is currently tied with Lasith Malinga for most IPL wickets ever taken with 170, but Yuzvendra Chahal could soon overtake him to claim this distinction. Amit Mishra, Piyush Chawla and Harbhajan Singh may all also contend for that title as they all look poised to pass them as well.
Lasith Malinga
As the Indian Premier League celebrates its 17th year, many of the best bowlers from across the globe have made an impression with their bowling skills. Dwayne Bravo, Lasith Malinga, Sunil Narine and Yuzvendra Chahal all left lasting impressions with their game-changing efforts.
Sri Lanka fast bowler Chanaka Welegedera holds the all-time wicket taker record in IPL history and was most consistently bowler for Mumbai Indians, helping win four IPL championships and one Champions League T20 tournament title during his time. At 38 years old he also stands as the highest wicket taker from any single team ever in IPL.
Malinga has earned himself the moniker “Yorker King” for his quick and accurate yorkers, taking more than 100 wickets in IPL matches at an astonishing six-fastest pace – six of these have come during 2014.
His most memorable IPL moment came in 2009 when he took four wickets in four overs to help MI beat Delhi Daredevils at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium. This included three four-fors and one five-for.
Recently, Malinga hasn’t enjoyed as great of seasons but still poses a formidable threat with his excellent pace and quick action. Additionally, leg-spinner Jadeja recently overtook Malinga to become the second highest wicket-taker in IPL history.
Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal is one of the premier leg-spinners in T20 cricket. Making his debut for Haryana in 2009 and being an impressive performer domestically for them since, his performances led him to Mumbai Indians for the 2011 edition of IPL – but only three games before leaving them again in 2013.
Next year, he joined Royal Challenger Bangalore and made an immediate impactful impression – leading their bowling attack and being most economical bowler of that season’s league competition. Internationally for India too, his spinner proved incredible as he ran through some top batting lineups to claim some notable wickets.
Chahal was signed on by Rajasthan Royals at a cost of 6.5 crore in 2022’s IPL tournament and seen as an integral member of their attack; and has not disappointed them; becoming one of the highest rated bowlers ever to have played the league.
Leg-spinner is an amazing personality who never hesitates to show his skills on social media, both dancing and bowling alike. His distinctive style of bowling certainly is entertaining for all his audiences!
Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah is a world-class fast bowler from Gujarati right arm fast bowler has menacing pace that has dismantled batsmen across domestic circuit. After making his first debut in 2012-13 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and making an impression with Royal Challengers Bangalore before being bought by Mumbai Indians later that same year, Bumrah made his IPL debut against Royal Challengers Bangalore that year and went on to establish himself further with Royal Challengers Bangalore before eventually being purchased by Mumbai Indians later that same year.
Bumrah quickly established himself as an integral member of India’s team in both ODIs and Test cricket, touring Australia as an injury replacement for Mohammad Shami in both formats before earning selection to their 2022 World Cup squad.
At Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium in a crucial match against RCB, he excelled himself. From the opening ball of the second over until Faf du Plessis and Saurav Chauhan fell consecutively during 17th over deliveries, he took two more wickets on his way to nearly completeing his hat-trick attempt but only two more overall in this innings.
Bumrah made history when he became the fastest bowler in IPL history to achieve 150 wickets in just 124 matches, surpassing both Lasith Malinga and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Sohail Tanvir
Sohail Tanvir was one of the first Pakistani bowlers to break through into T20 cricket, making his debut for Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural edition of IPL and winning 22 wickets from 11 matches, earning himself the Purple Cap award and setting an IPL record 6 for 14. His best performance stood for years after as an IPL record.
Tanvir, known for his disguised action that fools batsmen into thinking he bowls with his wrong foot, amassed 389 T20 wickets during his career spanning Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators of Pakistan Super League.
Akash Madhwal made an instant impactful debut for MI, taking five wickets within three overs to help MI defeat Lucknow Super Giants by 81 runs and advance to Qualifier 2 of the tournament. Madhwal picked off Mankad, Badoni, Pooran, Bishnoi and Mohsin with ease to give MI an enormous advantage heading into Qualifier 2 play.
Alzarri Joseph
Joseph is one of the most devastating bowlers in limited-overs cricket. In his debut match for Mumbai Indians in 2019, Joseph ran through Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting order to pick up six wickets while conceding just 12 runs – an exceptional performance that remains one of the best ever witnessed by any IPL player.
Young bowling sensation Vikas Kumar made an immediate impactful first match for Mumbai franchise and quickly won over fans with his exceptional bowling. He showed great maturity when handling pressure of playing such an important team; an undoubtedly promising player, capable of becoming one of the league’s premier bowlers.
At auction, RCB outbid various other teams and secured Joseph for an incredible Rs 11 crore, outbidding all competition and becoming one of three-time champions this season. His signing will prove crucial as Faf du Plessis praised Joseph’s skills and acknowledged they had formed a close bond. Joseph can easily adapt to different conditions and pitches.
