The last 4 overs in a T20 innings, known as death overs, are crucial for both batting and bowling teams. Bowling is not easy in death overs as batters try to slog every ball that comes their way.
Thus, teams have death over specialists in their ranks, who not only have the responsibility to put a break on run-scoring but also take wickets.
The IPL has seen bowlers like Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, and Dwayne Bravo who have mastered the art of death bowling. These legendary bowlers have bagged plenty of wickets between the 17th and 20th overs.
On that note, let’s look at the top 10 bowlers with the most wickets in death overs in IPL history.
Most Wickets in Death Overs in IPL
| Player | Innings | Wickets | Balls Bowled | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwayne Bravo | 125 | 102 | 1115 | 9.73 |
| Lasith Malinga | 109 | 90 | 917 | 7.82 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 139 | 85 | 1167 | 9.44 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 120 | 80 | 1115 | 8.39 |
| Harshal Patel | 71 | 63 | 613 | 10.23 |
| Mohit Sharma | 80 | 61 | 666 | 10.18 |
| Sunil Narine | 96 | 60 | 739 | 7.99 |
| Mohammed Shami | 76 | 58 | 566 | 10.70 |
| Chris Morris | 65 | 55 | 586 | 8.55 |
| Kagiso Rabada | 65 | 52 | 486 | 9.75 |
Also Read | Top 10: Most Runs in Death Overs in IPL
Key Insights
Dwayne Bravo holds the record for picking up the most wickets in death overs in IPL history. The Caribbean all-rounder bagged 102 wickets in 185.5 death overs he bowled in 125 innings. Thus far, only Bravo has crossed the 100-wicket mark in the 17 to 20 overs phase.
Lasith Malinga’s bowling average of 13.28 is the best among the bowlers with 50 or more wickets in death overs. The former Mumbai Indians’ pacers economy of 7.82 is also the lowest.
Bravo and Malinga have picked up more than 50 percent of their IPL career wickets while bowling in death overs. Bravo’s 102 wickets constitute 55.73 percent of his 183 wickets, while Malinga’s 90 scalps make up 52.94 percent of his 170 wickets.
Bravo, Malinga, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Jasprit Bumrah have bowled more than 300 dot balls in the death-over phase in the IPL.
