IPL 2021: Spinners dominate all-time list of Indian bowlers with most wickets

The IPL has proven to be a platform for several bowlers to showcase their skills. Several bowlers have successfully etched their names in the history books with consistent bowling performances season after season. Indian bowlers, capped and uncapped, have showcased their talents in the Indian Premier League since its inception in 2008. Many have used it as a platform to break into the Indian national side. Regular starters have shown why they deserved to wear the country’s badge.

Although the top wicket-taker in the league’s history is Lasith Malinga, seven Indian players feature in the top 10 highest wicket-takers of all time. They have gone on to represent India at the highest stage and have won laurels for the country. Here are the IPL’s top five Indian wicket-takers of all time:

 1. Amit Mishra

 Veteran leg-spinner Amit Mishra has been a part of the IPL since the inaugural 2008 season. Mishra started his IPL career as part of the Delhi Daredevils. Mishra picked up 11 wickets that year including a hat-trick against the Deccan Chargers. His best bowling figures of 5/17 came in the same tournament. His highest season tally came in the 2013 season when he picked up 21 wickets in 2013 when he played for the Sunrisers. Mishra has taken 160 wickets in 150 games in his IPL career and has taken more hat-tricks than anyone.  

2. Piyush Chawla

A multiple-time IPL winner and a crafty leg-spinner, Piyush Chawla was an integral part of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ 2012 and 2014 title-winning seasons. The leggie has taken a total of 156 wickets in his IPL career and was a key member at KKR. He took 17 wickets in the 2008 season, which remains his highest season tally, and his best bowling figures, 4/17, came in 2011. He was part of the KKR side that had the longest undefeated run in the tournament’s history.

3. Harbhajan Singh

One of the greatest to ever play the game, Harbhajan needs no introduction. He has picked up 150 wickets in his IPL career. He was part of Mumbai Indians for nine years from 2008-2017 before moving to Chennai Super Kings in 2018. Bhajji’s best bowling figures of 5/18 came in the 2011 season and his highest season tally of 24 wickets came in 2013.

4. Ravichandran Ashwin

A stalwart in the cricketing world, Ravichandran Ashwin has also made his mark as one of the most successful bowlers in the tournament. Ashwin made his debut for the Super Kings under MS Dhoni in 2009 and has never looked back since. The off spinner has 138 IPL wickets to his name and a highest season tally of 20 in the 2011 season. He won two consecutive IPL titles in 2010 and 2011 and his best bowling figures of 4/34 came in the 2016 season.

5. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

A swing specialist, death-overs expert and a two-time purple cap winner, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a regular for the Sunrisers and the Indian side. He won the purple cap in the Sunrisers’ title-winning season with 23 wickets in 2016. Kumar retained the purple cap the following season with his season high tally of 26 wickets. He has picked up a total of 136 wickets with best bowling figures of 5/19.