Indian conditions are known to be more favorable to spinners, however, pacers dominate the all-time overseas wicket-takers list.
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The Indian Premier League is a difficult testing ground for bowlers. They are put to the sword in conditions which have no assistance. For Indian bowlers, they have to bring out their best in overcoming the odds. It is twice as difficult for foreign bowlers who are not familiar with the subcontinent’s conditions. Despite the odds, there have been some foreign bowlers who have etched their names in IPL history with their impressive bowling performances season after season.
The pitches and playing conditions in India might not necessarily favor a fast bowler, but the top spot in IPL’s all-time leading wicket-taker is held by an overseas pacer. Here are the IPL’s top five leading overseas wicket-takers of all time.
Arguably the greatest fast bowler of all time and one of the absolute best to ever play the game, ‘Slinga’ Malinga sits atop the wicket-takers table with an incredible 170 wickets. He has won the IPL crown numerous times with the Mumbai Indians. Malinga’s best season was 2011 when he picked up 28 wickets and also recorded his best IPL bowling figures of 5/13.
Dwayne Bravo sits fourth in the IPL’s all-time leading wicket-takers with 153 wickets and has been one of the Chennai Super Kings’ greatest ever players. Bravo picked up an outstanding 32 wickets in the 2013 season. This mark remains the highest by a bowler in one season of the IPL. His best bowling figures of 4/22 came in 2016.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ mystery spinner Sunil Narine took the IPL by storm when he made his debut in the 2012 season. He picked up 24 wickets and also achieved his best bowling figures of 5/19, leading the Knights to their first IPL title in his first season. Narine has been a mainstay in the KKR team since, winning the 2014 title and taking 127 wickets.
The South African pace bowler is a menace for batsmen. It is no surprise that the ‘Steyn-gun’ has featured on the top wicket-takers list. One of the quickest fast bowlers in the world at one point in time, Steyn has taken 97 wickets in the IPL. His highest season tally was 19 in the 2013 season and his best bowling figures of 3/8 came in 2012.
Shane Watson has taken 92 wickets in the IPL, with his best bowling figures of 4/29 coming in 2016. His highest season tally of 20 wickets also came in that season. Watson has been a focal point of CSK’s consistent success in the tournament over the years. The best part, he is a batting all-rounder who opened the batting.
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