IPL Recap: Highest Wicket-Takers in IPL 2020

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is almost here and after a year away in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the IPL returns home to its roots and promises to be yet another spectacle when it gets underway on April 9 in Chennai.

This year is set to be different however, with no fans for at least the first half of the season because of the pandemic. But fans could still expect the same show-stopping cricket from the nine franchises that made last year’s tournament a mega-hit.

As we reach closer to the start, we take a look at some of last year’s top performers with the ball.

KAGISO RABADA:

Delhi Capitals’ Kagiso Rabada was the leading wicket-taker of last season’s IPL with the South African chipping in with wickets whenever Delhi would need one. He and Nortje proved to be an imposing partnership and one of the reasons behind Delhi’s run to the final.

Rabada topped the charts with 30 wickets from 17 games and had an economy rate of 8.34. He also grabbed four wickets in a match twice.

JASPRIT BUMRAH:

Jasprit Bumrah once again was Mumbai’s spearhead with the ball. Him and Boult were a match made in heaven as one would swing the ball and the other would york you to death along with the odd change of pace and a vicious bouncer here or there.

Bumrah had 27 wickets to his name from 15 games and had an economy rate of 6.73. The pacer also grabbed two four-wicket hauls.

TRENT BOULT:

Trent Boult once again showed why it is so difficult to get away with his inswingers causing serious problems to right-handers especially. Boult along with Bumrah were instrumental in MI’s fifth title win last season.

The New Zealand pacer finished with 25 wickets from 15 matches at an economy rate of 7.97. The Kiwi pacer also had one four-wicket haul to his name.

ANRICH NORTJE:

Anrich Nortje couldn’t make it at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) when he was first picked because of an injury but for DC, he was a real revelation. Nortje used his height and pace to full effect and made it increasingly difficult to get runs off him. Along with Rabada, the DC pair looked to be the most difficult bowling attack to get runs from in the powerplays.

Nortje finished his first season with 22 wickets from 16 games with an economy rate of 8.39.

YUZVENDRA CHAHAL:

Yuzvendra Chahal grabbed the most number of wickets for Royal Challengers Bangalore last year. With bigger grounds than normal compared to Bengaluru, Chahal was difficult to get away from and he kept chipping in with important wickets and breakthroughs despite bowling in the powerplays at times.

Chahal grabbed 21 wickets from 15 matches for RCB at an economy rate of 7.08

RASHID KHAN:

Rashid Khan continues to be one of the best spinners in the world and a consistent performer for Sunrisers Hyderabad. With conditions conducive to spin bowling in UAE, he made full use of them to bamboozle batsmen with his accuracy and spin.

Rashid played 14 matches and grabbed 20 wickets with a miser economy rate of 5.37

JOFRA ARCHER:

Jofra Archer once again showed why he is one of the best bowlers in the world. With sheer pace and bounce even on dying wickets, Archer terrorized the batsmen towards the beginning of the innings and returned with some toe crushers in the death overs.

Archer finished the tournament with 20 wickets from 14 matches and had an economy rate of 6.55.

MOHAMMAD SHAMI:

Mohammad Shami had another impressive outing for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and was their lead pacer. Shami troubled batsmen with his pace and accuracy and was their lead wicket-taker in the tournament despite Punjab failing to grab a top-five finish.

Shami grabbed 20 wickets from 14 matches with an economy rate of 8.57.

VARUN CHAKRAVARTHY:

After failing to make it big for KXIP, Varun Chakravarthy impressed in his second chance with the KKR in the UAE. The pitches suited him and he made full use of it as he leapfrogged ahead of Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav to become their lead spinner.

Varun had 17 wickets to his name from 13 matches and had an economy rate of 6.84. He also had one five-wicket haul in the tournament.

T NATARAJAN:

T Natarajan had a breakthrough year with Sunrisers Hyderabad and was their go to bowler in the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the death overs. Natarajan’s ability to bowl yorkers at will troubled batsmen. His accuracy and impressive form also got him a national call-up as he made his debut across all the formats since the IPL.

Nattu finished with 16 wickets from 16 matches and had an economy rate of 8.02.

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