Dwayne Bravo entered a special list of bowlers as he became the first individual in the history of the Twenty20 format to take 550 wickets in the format during Chennai Super Kings’ victory over Delhi Capitals in the first Qualifier.
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In cricket, there are many bowlers who have made a massive impact in any format that they have played. Muttiah Muralitharan’s haul of 800 Test wickets might never be overtaken. He is also the leading wicket-taker with 534 wickets in ODIs. Among pacers, James Anderson is the leading wicket-taker in Tests with close to 650 wickets. When it comes to the Twenty20 International format, Lasith Malinga is the leading wicket-taker with 107 wickets.
But, when it comes to franchise Twenty20 cricket, Dwayne Bravo is the ultimate legend of the game when it comes to his bowling statistics. He is one of the few players to have played over 500 Twenty20 matches. During the IPL 2021 first Qualifier between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals, Dwayne Bravo got the big wicket of Shimron Hetmyer for 37. That gave him his 550th wicket in T20s, making him the first bowler to achieve the feat.
Dwayne Bravo has had a magnificent 15-year career in T20 franchise cricket all over the world. Be it the IPL, Caribbean Premier League, Big Bash League, Bangladesh Premier League, Vitality Blast, or the South Africa T20 tournaments, Dwayne Bravo has been the shining star. In the IPL, he still holds the record for the most wickets in a single season when he took 32 in the 2013 edition of the tournament. Following Bravo’s brilliant record, here are the other bowlers who have taken over 350 wickets in the format.
Just like Bravo, Imran Tahir has been a successful bowler in franchise Twenty20 cricket. Tahir has surprisingly not been part of the Chennai Super Kings playing 11 on a consistent basis. But, if one takes away the Chennai Super Kings contribution, Tahir has been a star in the various franchises all over the world. Although he has not featured in the Big Bash League, he has been successful in South Africa and Caribbean T20 leagues on a consistent basis. His 420 wickets have come at an economy rate of 6.96, which is simply brilliant. Tahir’s ability in the death overs has been simply magnificent in the past and it is a shame he is not getting too many opportunities in the current IPL.
The serious assassin in many ways. Before his action was remodeled after being reported of chucking, Sunil Narine was the ultimate mystery bowler. He is the only bowler in history to bowl a wicket-maiden in the Super Over. His brilliance in the death overs, primarily due to his accuracy is a very understated aspect of his bowling. He has been a great asset for Kolkata Knight Riders in their dominance. Narine has been successful in the Big Bash League and the Caribbean Premier League. What is most important about his bowling is that he has an economy rate of just over six which is fabulous.
The superstar from Afghanistan has been the ultimate sensation when it comes to his bowling. The prowess that he has shown for Sunrisers Hyderabad is simply stunning in the IPL. It is his exploits in the IPL that has fetched him great numbers in the Big Bash League, Caribbean Premier League, Vitality Blast T20, and the Pakistan Super League T20. Rashid’s best haul is 5/3 and his average is 17.62. These are staggering numbers and his strike rate of 16.6 is the best among all bowlers who have taken over 350 wickets.
Perhaps, before all these bowlers, the ultimate T20 superstar was Lasith Malinga. Armed with a slingshot action, he was the king of the yorkers and death overs bowling. The ability of Malinga to tie down the batsmen when they are going for the attack made him one of the greatest bowlers in this period. He has the most five-wicket hauls among all the bowlers who have taken over 350 wickets. His best haul if 6/7 which he took in the Big Bash League for the Melbourne Stars. Malinga is the leading wicket-taker in IPL history with 170 wickets. That haul might take years to get overhauled. Among all the bowlers in the list, Malinga has a special place in cricket history as he is only the second bowler to take 100 wickets in all three formats.
Bangladesh’s greatest legend. The sheer magnitude of his achievements is simply staggering. Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, his numbers are simply the best. He is only the second player after Malinga to take 100 wickets in all three formats. He is only a couple of wickets away from becoming the leading wicket-taker in Twenty20 Internationals. With the bat and with the ball, Shakib has been sensational. He once held the record for the best haul in T20 cricket when he took 6/6 in the Caribbean Premier League playing for the Barbados Tridents. He is one of the few Bangladesh players to make a mark even in the Big Bash League and the Pakistan T20 League.
Unorthodox yet deadly. Sohail Tanvir was one of the finest T20 bowlers in an era when the format had started flourishing. For a long time, his haul of 6/14 in IPL 2008 was the best for any bowler in that tournament. Tanvir has been successfully plying his trade in franchise cricket for the last 16 years now. He is one of the go-to bowlers in the Caribbean Premier League as well as in the Pakistan and Bangladesh T20 leagues. Although he is not getting many chances in the national side, Tanvir will remain a legend in T20 franchise cricket.
Another left-arm pacer who can be consistent yet wayward. At his peak, Wahab Riaz would bowl with extreme pace and trouble the best batsmen. However, he would be erratic and spray the ball in all directions. This is reflected in his economy rate of 7.37 which is slightly more expensive. But, Bravo has an economy of 8.21 so his returns are not too bad. In fact, Wahab Riaz has more five-wicket hauls than four-wicket hauls, which is a rarity among pacers in the modern era. Riaz is a vital member of any bowling attack.
