The Indian Premier League 2020 has already witnessed some nail-biting contests and 5 Super Overs so far, which is the highest-ever in a single edition of the tournament. While the format is tailor-made for batsmen, bowlers with pace, guile and variation have been able to snare wickets and put the brakes on the scoring. Fast bowlers are leading the wickets tally so far, with Rashid Khan of Sunrisers Hyderabad being the lone spinner in the list.
Here is a look at the top five bowlers in IPL 2020 so far:
The South African quick has dominated the wicket-taking chart for a long time now playing for the Delhi Capitals. However, against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, his record of picking up a wicket for 25 consecutive matches came to a halt. He has been one of the reasons behind DC’s success in the IPL so far. With 23 wickets from 12 games at an economy rate of 8.13, he leads the pack. Rabada’s best is 4/24 which came against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Shami is one of the few bowlers with an upright wrist position, who can land the ball on the seam. He has shown his potential to the fullest this season playing for Kings XI Punjab, impressing everyone with his line and length during the Powerplay as well as at the death. With 20 scalps from 12 games at 8.46, Shami is placed second. His best figures of 3/15 came against DC.
In a season dominated by pacers, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Rashid Khan has emerged as one of the most economical bowlers. Coming to bowl during the middle overs, he has managed to contain the run-scoring almost every time. With 17 wickets from 12 games and giving away runs at only five an over, Rashid takes the third place. His best figures are 3/7 against DC.
One of the fastest pacers currently, Rajasthan Royals’ Jofra Archer can get many batsmen to hop. He has 17 wickets from 12 matches at an impressive economy rate of 6.71. His best figures of 3/19 came against DC as well.
One of the top bowlers in world cricket today, his name does not come as a surprise. The death overs specialist has the tag of ‘yorker king’, delivering yorkers at will. Playing for Mumbai Indians, Bumrah has 17 wickets from 11 matches at an economy of 7.52. His best of 4/20 came against Rajasthan Royals.
With the tournament entering the business end, MI, RCB and DC occupy the top 3 spots in the IPL table. There is an interesting tussle for the 4th spot with KXIP and Kolkata Knight Riders on 12 points each, battling it out.