Which is why hat-tricks, maidens and extremely economical spells stand out quite a bit in this format.
Over the years we have seen many outstanding bowling performances in the IPL which have turned matches on their heads. The 15th season has already produced a few magical performances by bowlers as they made the batters dance to their tunes.
TimesofIndia.com here takes a look at some of the finest bowling performances in the season so far.
(All figures included in this article are till Match 31 of the season between RCB and LSG, played on April 19, 2022)
Yuzvendra Chahal (5/40 vs Kolkata Knight Riders)
It seems like last year’s T20 World Cup omission is still somewhere at the back of the mind for Yuzvendra Chahal. This time, playing for the Rajasthan Royals, he is leaving no stone unturned to get that ticket for the Australia edition later this year.
A man on a mission, Chahal is going through one of his best IPL phases ever. In only half-a-dozen matches so far, Chahal already has 17 wickets to his name and is currently leading the bowling charts and is the proud keeper of the purple cap currently.
Yuzvendra Chahal (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
From the first game itself, Chahal was among the wickets and bowling pretty economically, but in Monday’s game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, the 31-year-old was absolutely on song.
Bagging his first fifer ever in the competition, Chahal played a huge role in Rajasthan Royals’ thrilling 7-run win in a high scoring thriller.
With 40 needed off the last 4 overs and 6 wickets in hand, KKR were well and truly in the match against the Rajasthan Royals. Skipper Shreyas Iyer was unbeaten on 85 and Venkatesh Iyer was on 6 with him at that time and it looked like the Knights could secure a win in a steep chase of 217.
But Chahal completely swung the game in favour of his team after bowling a jaw-dropping 17th over. With 4 wickets in it, including his first ever IPL hat-trick, Chahal tilted the scales completely in favour of RR, who eventually wrapped up a 7 run win.
His scalps in that over included — Venkatesh, Shreyas Shivam Mavi and Pat Cummins as Chahal signed off with superb figures of 5/40 and registered the first hat-trick of IPL 2022.
Kuldeep Yadav (4/35 against Kolkata Knight Riders)
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav has gone through some of the most difficult times in the last couple of years. Poor performances, non-selection in teams (national and in IPL franchises) and injuries have plagued the talented 27-year-old.
But a resurgent Kuldeep bounced back strongly in the ongoing edition of the IPL. Currently the third highest wicket taker of the season, Kuldeep has impressed everyone with his astounding comeback.
Kuldeep Yadav (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
In just 5 matches, Kuldeep has 11 wickets to his name and a more than decent economy rate of 8.23 in the format which is well known for its ruthlessness to the spinners.
Kuldeep’s best performance of the season thus far was registered in Match 19 against his former franchise – the Kolkata Knight Riders. Kuldeep bagged 4 wickets, leading his side Delhi Capitals to a comfortable 44-run win.
His figures of 4 for 35 which included the wickets of Shreyas Iyer, Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine and Umesh Yadav completely broke the back of KKR’s middle order in a towering chase of 216.
And along with his four-for, Kuldeep in that match also plucked a stunning catch off his own bowling to send Umesh Yadav back.
Umesh Yadav (4/23 against Punjab Kings)
Veteran Indian speedster Umesh Yadav was gradually fading away from the national cricket setup. Limited to just red-ball cricket in the Indian national team, Umesh, even there sometimes finds himself on the sidelines. He has not been in consideration for a white ball slot in Indian cricket for quite a while now.
At the last player auction Umesh was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders at his base price of INR 2 crore. But the 34-year-old began this season in a very impressive style. Currently sixth in the bowler’s rankings, Umesh so far has 10 wickets in 7 matches and at one point was top of the list.
Umesh Yadav (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
While pace was never an issue for the India veteran, Umesh hit balmost immaculate line and lengths, especially in the initial games for KKR. He started the season with a bang, earning the Player of the match award in his side’s first win of the season against Chennai Super Kings, but his best performance so far this season was against the Punjab Kings in Match 8 where he produced excellent figures of 4 for 23.
With the wickets of Mayank Agarwal, Liam Livingstone, Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar, Umesh played a major role in restricting Kings to a below-par score of 137.
KKR eventually won that match by 6 wickets.
Umesh so far has earned 2 Player of the Match awards.
Avesh Khan (4/24 against Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Young Indian pacer Avesh Khan has been one of the most impressive young speed guns of late. The second highest wicket-taker in the IPL 2021 season and a recent India debut in white-ball cricket in February this year speaks volumes about the talent that the 25-year-old possesses. And when Lucknow Super Gians shelled out INR 10 crore for him in the auction earlier in February, it was not really a big surprise.
Living up to the expectations, Avesh has started superbly this IPL season.
Avesh Khan(Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
With 11 wickets already in 7 games, Avesh is currently the fourth highest wicket-taker in the competition. His wicket-taking ability along with bowling economical overs has once again impressed many in the cricketing fraternity.
One of his game-changing spells this year was bowled in the 12th match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The nippy pacer registered very impressive figures of 4 for 24, guiding Lucknow to a 12-run win while defending a total of 170.
After removing openers Abhishek Sharma and Kane Williamson in the Powerplay, Avesh then returned in the 18th over to get rid of hard-hitter Nicholas Pooran and Abdul Samad to decisively put the match in the pocket of Lucknow.
Avesh’s bowling in that match also helped him walk away with the Player of the match award.
Wanindu Hasaranga (4/20 against Kolkata Knight Riders)
Big money Wanindu Hasaranga, who was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a whopping INR 10 crore has been on a roll this season. The mystery spinner is currently sitting in fifth spot of the bowling chart with a total of 11 wickets in seven matches.
With most of the highly-rated batters from around the world finding it difficult to pick Hasaranga off the hand and the pitch, the Sri Lankan is consistently getting better with every game.
Wanindu Hasaranga (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
Along with picking up regular wickets, Hasaranga has also been pretty economical and has even excelled in bowling at the death.
In the 7 outings so far, Hasaranga’s best figures of the season so far of 4 for 20 were registered against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Match 6, where he literally ran through the opposition’s middle order, helping Bangalore bundle out the Knights for a paltry 128.
In the match against KKR, Hasaranga’s scalps included big guns Shreyas Iyer, Sunil Narine, Sheldon Jackson along with Tim Southee. His spell in the match against KKR, never allowed the KKR batters to settle as he kept taking wickets at crucial junctures to restrict the opposition.
Hasaranga’s performance against KKR also helped RCB register their first win of the season.
(All figures included in this article are till Match 31 of the season between RCB and LSG, played on April 19, 2022)
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