Everyone is excited for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League starting from 19th September in the UAE. Fans are having some high expectations from their favorite teams and players. The conditions are going to be different in the UAE, especially in the latter stages of the tournament, due to the consecutive matches on the same tracks and bigger boundaries compared with India.
Bowlers, especially spinners and hit the deck pacers will play a key role in their team’s success. So, we thought why not pick our top 5 bowlers who can win the purple this season. Let’s get into it:
1. Yuzvendra Chahal
IPL Career- Matches: 84 Wickets: 100 Economy: 7.78
The best thing about Yuzvendra Chahal is that he is a street-smart bowler. He’s not afraid to toss the ball and get hit for sixes. Moreover, he has performed while playing most of his games at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore, which is considered as the graveyard for the bowlers. Chahal had 18 wickets in 14 games last season, with an excellent economy of 7.82.
He has been a proven match-winner and a consistent performer for India and RCB. With the conditions suited to spinners, Chahal will be vital for the Royal Challengers, and they’ll hope he performs exceeding the expectations from him this season.
2. Rashid Khan
IPL Career: Matches- 46 Wickets- 55 Economy- 6.55
Rashid Khan has become a T20 superstar in a very short span of time. The leggie from Afghanistan is a brilliant bowler and has already shown what he is capable of in the league’s 2018 edition. He is a quick leg-spin bowler and is known for his variations. It is very tough for the batters to attack him, and this makes him very dangerous.
Rashid picked 17 wickets in 15 games last season at a brilliant economy of 6.28! Rashid is always amongst wickets and has performed in t20 leagues all around the globe. He is also a very handy batter down the order for the SunRisers Hyderabad. Given the tracks will be a bit slow in the UAE, Rashid is one of the top contenders for the Purple Cap in IPL 2020.
3. Jasprit Bumrah
IPL Career: Matches- 77 Wickets- 82 Economy- 7.56
Jasprit Bumrah is arguably the best bowler in cricket at the moment. He is exceptional and the most crucial player for the Mumbai Indians. He hits the deck hard, is very good with the new ball, and excellent in death-overs. He is one of the main reasons behind the success of Mumbai Indians. With his unorthodox action and deadly yorkers, he is an absolute beast in death overs and can stop the flow of runs against any batter.
Bumrah picked 19 wickets in 16 games with an unbelievable economy of 6.63 in 2019. Even if he doesn’t pick wickets, he’ll stop the flow of runs adding more pressure on the batters. Bumrah is a proven game-changer, and don’t be surprised if he claims the Purple Cap in this year’s IPL.
4. Deepak Chahar
IPL Career: Matches- 34 Wickets: 33 Economy- 7.63
Deepak Chahar was exceptional last season with 22 wickets in 17 games. He is significant for CSK as he swings the new ball both ways and looks for early breakthroughs and is also very good at the death. He is not very pacy but relies on swing and accuracy to pick wickets. His ability to swing the ball both ways makes him very lethal. He has been picking wickets in the powerplay consistently for the Chennai Super Kings.
Chahar is in our list as he has performed at Chepauk, a dust bowl, and spinners thrive on that wicket, and the conditions being somewhat similar in the UAE are expected to do well for his team.
5. Imran Tahir
IPL Career: Matches- 55 Wickets- 79 Economy- 7.88
Imran Tahir is getting better and better with age. “The Parasakthi Express” is 41 currently and was the purple cap winner in 2019 with 26 scalps in 17 games with an economy of 6.69. Last year, he was also the highest wicket-taker in Mzansi Super League with 17 wickets to his name in 11 games. The age factor seems to have no effect on Tahir as he is fit and is performing well.
He will be our top pick to win the Purple Cap this season due to the big grounds and considering the over-use of tracks in the UAE this year. Tahir will be Dhoni’s trump card in middle overs this season, and all the Chennai fans will love to see him go on a victory lap after taking a wicket.
So, these were our top 5 picks for the Purple Cap in IPL 2020. Do let us know your five picks in the comments.
