Cricket is like a religion in India. For a cricket fan, IPL is like a festival. IPL is one of the world's most significant cricket leagues. Powerplay is a crucial phase of the game. Every batter tries to play aggressively and score quick runs. While the batsman attempts to take advantage and score boundaries in the powerplay, the bowlers look to bowl tight lines and lengths and take wickets during the powerplay. Here are "The Top 10 Bowlers with Most Wickets in IPL".
1. Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami has a limited-yet-useful ability to move the new ball. He is a seam bowler who bowls around 140 kph. The Indian pacer has 41 wickets in 96 innings with an economy of 7.34. He debuted for Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2011 season. Delhi Daredevils bought him ahead of the 2014 season. His five-year association with Delhi Daredevils decided to release him before the 2019 season auction. During the 2019 auctions, Kings XI Punjab bought him for a whopping Rs. 4.40 crore. Kings XI Punjab released Shami ahead of the 2022 season. The new franchise, Gujarat Titans, bought him ahead of the 2022 season and won the trophy for Gujarat Titans in the 2022 season.
2. Dhawal Kulkarni
Dhawal Kulkarni is a swing bowler who clocks an average speed in the mid-130s. Dhawal Kulkarni is an unsung performer in the IPL. The pacer has 44 wickets in 86 innings with an economy of 7.49. He debuted for Mumbai Indians in the 2008 season and played for Mumbai Indians till 2013. The Rajasthan Royals signed him before the 2014 season. He played for Rajasthan Royals. Then he played for Gujarat Lions in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He again played for Rajasthan Royals for two years. Rajasthan Royals released him ahead of the 2020 season, and Mumbai Indians bought him ahead of the 2020 season. Mumbai Indians released him ahead of the 2022 season. He went unsold in both the 2022 and 2023 auctions.
3. Deepak Chahar
Deepak Chahar is known for his swing bowling. With the new ball, he can trouble the batters. Although he is not an extremely fast bowler, he can clock the ball at 135-140 kph. The pacer has 45 wickets in 68 innings with an economy of 7.79. He made his debut in 2016 for Rising Pune Supergiants. The 2016 and 2017 IPL seasons could have been better for Chahar. CSK signed ahead of the 2018 season, and he won the 2018 IPL season with CSK. He became CSK's leading bowler, bowling lovely new-ball spells. The best season so far for Chahar is the 2019 season, where he picked up 22 wickets in 17 matches with an economy of 7.47.
4. Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravi Ashwin is the only spinner on our list. He has 47 wickets in 122 innings with an economy of 6.71. He debuted for CSK in 2009, where he played just two matches. The 2010 season saw a rise to his career when Dhoni told him to ball with the new ball by Dhoni, and he was able to pick up 13 wickets. He went on to win back-to-back titles for CSK (2010 and 2011). After the two-year suspension of CSK, the Rising Pune Supergiants signed him. He had a bad season in 2016. He could not play in the 2017 IPL due to an injury. Kings XI Punjab signed him in 2018, making him the captain of Kings XI Punjab. He could not do much for KXIP, and then he was signed by the Delhi Capitals in 2020. Rajasthan Royals signed him before 2021, and he is still playing for Rajasthan Royals.
5. Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma is among the few bowlers who consistently hit close to 140 kph. The Indian pacer has 47 wickets in 96 innings with an economy of 7.08. He has played for six franchises in the IPL. Kolkata Knight Riders picked him in 2008, and he played three seasons with them. He was then picked up by the Deccan Chargers in 2011 and played two seasons with them. Sunrisers Hyderabad signed him ahead of the 2013 season. Sunrisers Hyderabad released him ahead of the 2016 season, and Rising Pune Supergiants signed him for the 2016 season. Then the Kings XI Punjab signed him ahead of the 2017 season. Delhi Capitals bought him in the 2019 auction, and he still plays for them.
6. Trent Boult
Trent Boult is the only overseas player on our list. The left-arm pacer from New Zealand, known for his ability to swing the new ball, is very effective in the powerplay. He has 47 wickets in 86 innings with an economy of 7.10 in the powerplay overs. Sunrisers Hyderabad bought him in 2015. After playing two seasons with Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders bought him in 2017, where he played just five matches. He was then picked up by the Delhi Daredevils in 2018 and played two seasons with them. His best year came in 2020 after being bought up by the Mumbai Indians. He played an essential role for Mumbai Indians in the power play. He helped Mumbai Indians lift the trophy for the 5th time. He had a decent season in 2021 before being bought up by the Rajasthan Royals in the 2022 mega auction.
7. Zaheer Khan
The former Indian left-arm pacer was very well known for his ability to take early wickets in the powerplay overs. He has 52 wickets in 99 innings with an economy of 6.74. His IPL career started with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2008. The Mumbai Indians signed him ahead of 2009, and he played for Mumbai Indians for two years. He again returned to Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011. Mumbai Indians again bought him in 2014. The Delhi Daredevils then signed him for the 2015 season. He retired from cricket in the year 2017.
8. Umesh Yadav
The right-arm pace bowler can clock high 140s and swing simultaneously. The Delhi Daredevils picked him up and signed him in 2010. After underperforming in the 2010 and 2011 seasons, he made a remarkable comeback in 2012, picking up 19 wickets and becoming the fourth-highest wicket-taker. Then he was signed by KKR, and he won the IPL with KKR in 2014. He became an essential player for KKR and is still the fourth-highest wicket-taker in KKR's history. However, KKR released Umesh in 2018, and RCB bought him for the 2018 season. He went on to take 20 wickets for RCB in the 2018 season. RCB released him ahead of the 2021 IPL. DC bought him ahead of the 2021 season. After being released by DC before the 2022 season, KKR again picked him ahead of the 2022 season. Umesh has 53 wickets in 124 innings with an economy of 7.61 in the powerplay.
9. Sandeep Sharma
The right arm medium pace bowler debuted for Kings XI Punjab in 2013. He has 55 wickets in 110 innings with an economy of 6.85 in the powerplay. SRH signed him ahead of the 2018 season, and he had quite a good return in 2019 and 2020, but he was dropped from the team in 2022 after playing seven matches and taking three wickets. Punjab Kings again picked him up in 2022, but he could only do a little for his team in the five games he played. He went unsold in the 2023 auction, but the Rajasthan Royals signed him as an injury replacement for the injured Prasidh Krishna.
10. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
He is considered one of the best swing bowlers in the world. He has 59 wickets in 152 innings with an economy of 6. He can swing the ball on both sides, so it is difficult for the batsman to play him with the new ball. RCB signed him before the 2009 edition; he did not get any opportunity to play in his first two years at RCB. After Pune Warriors picked Bhuvi in 2011, he became one of the shining lights in the franchise. But after the cessation of Pune Warriors, SRH signed him in 2014. Then he went on to win the purple cap (awarded for highest wicket-taker in the season) for two consecutive seasons, 2016 and 2017.
