The 12th season of the money-spinning Indian Premier League (IPL) had witnessed some bewitching performances in 33 matches held so far. There have been relishing moments for the teams, the players and then the fans respectively. Each team has been fighting tooth and nails to reach at the top four. It will be top performers that will face each other in the playoffs while the winners of the qualifier 1st and 2nd will fight in the finals. Also, we can’t derail from the topic of some best bowling performances of season 12.
Twenty20 is the shortest format of the cricket world which is mostly dominated by batsmen. But this season bowlers have shone to give batsmen a fierce competition. Even though it’s the half-way stage of the mega event, some bowlers have been continuously proving their mettle in the game.
Here are the list five bowlers who had been marvellous so far –
Best Bowling Performances in the IPL 2019 so far:
Kagiso Rabada:
Rabada has been like no-one else throughout the seasons of the IPL. He had left his impact in every match this season, proving to all how destructive the pacer could be. The South African speedster had been using “well planned” yorkers as his weapon in the on-going tournament. His wicket of in-form Andre Russell in the super over fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR)was a treat to watch.
Rabada had taken 17 wickets in the eight matches to claim the Purple Cap. In the last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the pacer collected four wickets for the team in 3.5 overs for 22 runs. His overall economy rate in the eight IPL matches is of 7.70. By far, Rabada is the most successful bowler of the season.
Imran Tahir:
The South-African leg-spinner has been deceiving the batsmen since 2014 when Delhi Daredevils now Delhi Capitals (DC) called him as a replacement for Nathan Coulter Nile. He became World’s No. 1 bowler in 2017 for the shortest format.
Tahir has snared 15 wickets in a total of nine matches. And in the last match against KKR, he took 4 wickets for 27 runs restricting KKR to 161/7. The spinner eked out the most important players; Chris Lynn (82 off 51) and Russell for 10 runs off five balls. He was adjudged as the ‘Man of the Match’.
Yuzvendra Chahal:
Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB) has kept Chahal in their squad for past six seasons. His performance throughout the years has been consistent and ever improving. With 13 wickets in eight matches, Chahal is at the third place among the top wicket-takers list of this year’s IPL.
He bagged a four-for against Indians on 28th of March, 2019.
Even though RCB has been short of luck in the season, Chahal had been consistent with his support for the team in the game. In the last match against Mumbai Indians (MI), which RCB lost by five wickets, Chahal took two wickets at an economy rate of 6.8. RCB had won just one match in all of their eight games.
The ‘linchpin’ of Virat Kohli has been successful with his accurate line and length with a ball in hand. He had taken 87 wickets for RCB till now and is their highest wicket-taker.
Jofra Archer:
The Barbadian bowler made his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals(RR) in 2018. Recently, Archer has been in good shape. In the match against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), he bagged three wickets for 15 runs. Though it wasn’t enough for RR to register a victory.
Recently, Archer had been skipped from being added in England’s World Cup squad But, he has been included in the extended 17-man five-match ODIs against Pakistan. And could definitely be given chance in the World Cup if he continues spilling his magic till 23rd May.
Jasprit Bumrah:
The ever-evolving Indian bowler has been rising ever since his debut in the IPL 2013. His in-swinger has troubled the world-class players in the IPL. He concedes least possible runs during the match if being unable to get any wicket of an opponent.
Evidently, the batsmen get a hard time around Bumrah. In nine matches, he has claimed 10 wickets. His best figures in this season came as three for 20 against Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 28.
So far he had taken eight wickets in as many matches conceding least runs under the economy rate of six in almost every game he played. Bumrah is the key factor for the team and has emerged as the death overs specialist. Thus making him highly eligible for the best bowlers of IPL 2019.
Alzarri Joseph:
The Windies rising star Alzarri Joseph had bowled remarkably well on his IPL debut. Subsequently, it saw him eclipsing the 11-year-old record of Sohail Tanvir. Tanvir achieved the feat in the inaugural IPL edition against the CSK.
Joseph had a dream debut to claim best bowling figures in the IPL history. He achieved the landmark on April 6, 2019, against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Joseph, who’s donning Mumbai Indians’ jersey, bagged six wickets after conceding 12 runs in 3.4 overs.
Unfortunately, he has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament after nursing a shoulder injury on April 3.