The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the most competitive leagues in the world. And as the league enters the Playoff stage, the level of competition goes significantly up.
The IPL Playoff is an intense phase of the tournament where players need to perform at their best. Thus, there’s constant pressure on batters and bowlers to give their 100 percent, as a tiny mistake can make or break the team’s campaign.
Bowlers are under even more pressure as they are the ones who can help teams win the tournament. Remember the saying, ‘Batters win you matches, bowlers win you tournaments’?
A few prominent bowlers have performed well, showcasing their craft and taking wickets at crucial junctures.
This article will list the top 10 bowlers with the most wickets in the IPL Playoffs.
Most Wickets in IPL Playoffs
| Player | Innings | Wickets | Best Bowling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dwayne Bravo | 19 | 28 | 4/42 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 24 | 21 | 3/16 |
| Mohit Sharma | 10 | 20 | 5/10 |
| Trent Boult | 13 | 19 | 3/30 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 19 | 19 | 3/31 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 14 | 17 | 3/23 |
| Lasith Malinga | 15 | 14 | 3/23 |
| Albie Morkel | 12 | 14 | 2/12 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 13 | 13 | 2/16 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 10 | 12 | 4/14 |
(Check out other IPL Playoffs-related stats here.)
Key Insights
Dwayne Bravo holds the record for picking up the most wickets in IPL Playoffs. The medium pacer took 28 wickets in 19 innings at a strike rate of 13.8. 26 of those wickets came while representing Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in seven playoff appearances.
Dhawal Kulkarni’s bowling average of 15.20 is the best in the IPL Playoffs among the bowlers with 10 or more wickets. He scalped 10 wickets in five innings while playing for the Mumbai Indians (2011, 2012), Rajasthan Royals (2015), and Gujarat Lions (2016).
Mohit Sharma, on the other hand, has the best bowling strike rate of 10.8 in the knockout stage. Thus far, the pacer has grabbed 20 wickets in 10 matches.
Akash Madhwal became the first-ever bowler to bag a five-wicket haul in the IPL Playoffs. Representing Mumbai Indians (MI), he picked up five wickets for five runs against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 2023 Eliminator match. And these are the best bowling figures in a playoff match.
Before Madhwal’s fifer, CSK’s Doug Bollinger’s 4 for 13 were the best figures registered in 2010.
Over 21 bowlers have grabbed 10 or more wickets in IPL Playoff matches. 10 of them have played for CSK at least once.
Trent Boult has represented the most IPL teams (five) in the knockouts. The Kiwi left-arm pacer has played for the Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Read Next | Highest Team Totals for Each Team in ODI
