Although the IPL has been harsh to bowlers since its inception, few bowlers have stood up to the task and troubled opposition batsmen. These quality bowlers are a rare breed, and franchisees often have to break the bank to acquire their services.
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A majority of these bowlers come from foreign countries, and many teams have opted to utilise two of their four overseas slots to accommodate premium bowlers.
Here we will take a look at the 10 overseas bowlers with the most wickets in IPL history.
Overseas Bowlers with Most Wickets in IPL
| Player | Innings | Wickets | BBI | Average | 4W/5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunil Narine | 186 | 190 | 5/19 | 25.68 | 7/1 |
| Dwayne Bravo | 158 | 183 | 4/22 | 23.82 | 2/0 |
| Lasith Malinga | 122 | 170 | 5/13 | 19.79 | 6/1 |
| Rashid Khan | 133 | 157 | 4/24 | 23.29 | 2/0 |
| Trent Boult | 115 | 139 | 4/18 | 25.81 | 2/0 |
| Andre Russell | 120 | 123 | 5/15 | 23.00 | 2/1 |
| Kagiso Rabada | 83 | 119 | 4/21 | 22.57 | 6/0 |
| Dale Steyn | 95 | 97 | 3/8 | 25.85 | 0/0 |
| Chris Morris | 81 | 95 | 4/23 | 24.15 | 4/0 |
| Shane Watson | 105 | 92 | 4/29 | 29.15 | 1/0 |
Key Insights
Dwayne Bravo, the West Indian medium pacer, is one of the leading wicket-takers in IPL history. The all-rounder was sensational for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). With 32 and 26 wickets in 2013 and 2015, respectively, Bravo has two purple caps to his credit.
Andre Russell (14.4) and Kagiso Rabada (15.5), in IPL, have the best strike rate for any bowlers who have more than 100 wickets. Find out how to calculate the bowling strike rate and average in this article.
In the 2023 edition, Rabada bettered Malinga’s record for the fastest to 100 scalps by picking his 100th wicket in his 64th IPL game.
Rashid Khan’s story in the IPL is an inspiring one. It would be true if one could say that the young bowler from Afghanistan has changed the fate of Afghan cricketers altogether.
Rashid, along with Sunil Narine, has the best economy rate for bowlers with 100 wickets in the tournament. Here’s the list of the most economical bowlers in the IPL.
Rashid Khan, who was part of Sunrisers Hyderabad side for five years since his debut in 2017 and moved to Gujarat Titans in 2022. The mystery leg spinner has a phenomenal consistency of 15+ wickets in every season, except in 2024.
Sunil Narine will go down as one of the IPL greats. The mystery spinner has been a one-team man for KKR and has been their go-to bowler since his debut in 2012. The Trinidadian bowler crossed the 20-wicket mark in three consecutive seasons from 2012 to 2014.
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