As years have gone by, cricket has turned into a batsmen friendly game. Just take a look at ODI cricket; earlier, a score of 200-250 runs would be hard to chase, but now batsmen aren’t satisfied after putting up 350 runs on the board because even that is chaseable. In T20 cricket, the batsmen have a considerable advantage because of how the format has been devised. Spinners are a special breed of bowlers. They are known to tempt batsmen to go after them, making the batsmen commit mistakes and fall into the spinners’ trap.
Since the inception of the IPL, many successful spinners have plied their trade in the money-minting league. Legends like Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan had a good couple of seasons before hanging their boots. Many Indian spinners like Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra are among the highest wicket-takers in IPL history. IPL has also seen some mystery spinners like Sunil Narine and Rashid Khan gain stardom.
Here, I take a look at 5 spinners to keep an eye on during the upcoming IPL campaign:
5. Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav kicks off this list, which might come as a surprise to a few readers. The Kanpur-born left-arm chinaman bowler is a part of a rare breed. He earned his chance in the blockbuster T20 league with the Kolkata Knight Riders after being on the Mumbai Indians bench in the 2012 season. He picked up 12 and 17 wickets in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and saw himself become a mainstay in the KKR bowling brigade.
Last year, he was smashed by Moeen Ali to all parts of the stadium. Kuldeep conceded 59 runs in his 4 overs quota and didn’t feature in the IPL after that match. He might have ended last season with just four wickets under his belt, but I have no doubts about returning with a bang this time around. With Piyush Chawla’s move to CSK, the onus is on Yadav to propel KKR to a spot in this year’s playoffs. Watch this space.
4. Mujeeb ur Rehman
Mujeeb ur Rehman Zadran is an Afghanistan teenager who has been in association with the Kings XI Punjab since 17. The talented off-spinner had a fruitful debut campaign with the Preity Zinta-owned side as he picked up 14 wickets at under 7 runs per over. His form took a turn for the worse last season as his game time was reduced to just 5 appearances due to the selection dilemma of 4 overseas.
Choosing him in this list over the likes of Narine and Tahir is a massive gamble, but I think if he features in 10-12 games in the league stage, he will trouble opposition batsmen. Moreover, he should be a part of the 4 overseas players due to Ashwin’s absence in the team this year, which leaves their Indian spin department slightly weak. There is no doubt that KXIP will rely on him heavily, and with Anil Kumble at the helm of coaching, the youngster has everything to gain.
3. Ravi Ashwin
This is another bold prediction. Ravi Ashwin is a valuable addition to Delhi Capitals this season. They were criticised for not having many experienced players, but Ashwin joins the Delhi unit as a seasoned campaigner. One of the smartest cricketers in the current generation, Ashwin, has various ways of getting a batsman out (including mankading). His carrom ball remains a threat to this day, and his wicket-taking prowess will be on show this year.
Delhi Capitals can call upon a variety of spinners like Amit Mishra, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Axar Patel, but I am convinced that Ravichandran Ashwin will be instrumental for them in this IPL edition. During his IPL career, Ashwin has dismissed 125 batsmen at a miserly economy rate of 6.79. He has picked up a minimum of 10 wickets in each of his last 9 campaigns, which shows his consistency.
2. Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal has often been a lone warrior for Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowling department. He is a part of an elite group of Indian spinners who have amassed more than 100 wickets in the IPL. The leg spinner, who recently got hitched to Dhanashree Verma, started his IPL journey with Mumbai Indians but was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2014 for his base price of 10 lakh INR. Chahal has gone on to become RCB’s highest wicket-taker of all time.
At 7.78, Chahal’s economy is neither too high nor too low. His greatest asset is his wicket-taking ability. Like his Indian compatriot Kuldeep Yadav, Chahal tempts the batsmen to play the big shots, resulting in him picking up a few scalps. His strike rate in the IPL is 17.87, which is second to none on this list. His form in this year’s competition will hold the key to whether Royal Challengers Bangalore can finally clinch their first trophy or not.
1. Rashid Khan
No prizes for guessing which player is on the top of this list. Rashid Khan has been sensational for Sunrisers Hyderabad during the last three years. The 21-year old burst onto the scene at a very tender age for his country. Although he is labeled as a leg spinner, Rashid has a rainbow of variations and is very unpredictable. He is one of the most sought out bowlers in T20 leagues around the globe and is a precious asset in SRH bowling attack.
The Orange Army bought Rashid Khan in 2017 for 4 crore INR, and the youngster has exceeded expectations. He has picked up 55 wickets in 46 matches at an astute economy rate of just 6.55. His strike rate (19.85) and average (21.69) only solidifies that he is the best spin bowler in the circuit. He is so effective that when playing against Rashid Khan’s team, batsmen tend to play out his four overs and go after the other bowlers to avoid losing extra wickets to the wily leg spinner.
Honourable Mentions: Shreyas Gopal, Imran Tahir, Sunil Narine.