There is no other format which tests a bowler’s skills like T20 cricket. In this format bowlers have to think one step ahead of the batters all the time.
Just a slight mistake with line and length is very costly for the bowler and for the whole team as well. And if something like this happens during the crucial finale, then the whole game is over for the bowling side. But several bowlers have used their brains and put on some great performances.
In this article, we are going to have a look at the top bowling figures in IPL finals.
Best Bowling Performances in IPL Finals
5. Hardik Pandya (GT): 3/17 vs RR, 2022
A brand new team in its first year goes straight to the final. And the captain of the team does a match-defining performance – not with the bat.
It sounds quite unbelievable, doesn’t it? But while leading Gujarat Titans (GT) in the final of 2022, Hardik Pandya made it happen.
He delivered such a tight spell that Rajasthan Royals (RR) were never given the slightest opening. The all-rounder got the better of his opponent, Sanju Samson, on the very second ball he bowled in the ninth over.
Pandya kept up the pressure and didn’t allow any runs to be scored while he did so. He then in the 13th and 15th overs took Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer, respectively.
Three wickets of Pandya led to the total of RR being only 130. Later, he contributed towards the target getting chased with a 34-run innings.
4. Ravichandran Ashwin (CSK): 3/16 vs RCB, 2011
Yet another tight bowling performance that sealed the win in the final. The master of being intelligent, Ravichandran Ashwin, threw a smart playing in the 2011 finale.
He was quick to the ball on the fourth ball of the innings. Can you guess who his first victim was? – Chris Gayle!
Ashwin got rid of the danger-man right at the beginning. He was done with the other opener, Mayank Agarwal, two overs later with a carrom ball, which put RCB at 16 for 2.
The off-spinner made a comeback in the 11th over to clinch his third wicket. Ashwin’s 3 for 16 enabled CSK to defend their title successfully.
3. Karanveer Singh (Punjab Kings): 4/54 vs KKR, 2014
This cast was unlike those two performances, and it was wasteful. And you may not even recall the bowler and the performance at all.
With 199 runs as a target, Punjab was seemingly in control of the match. And Karanveer Singh might be of a similar opinion as he took his first wicket in the seventh over.
But Kolkata’s batsmen had other ideas. Karanveer got the wickets but he gave away too many runs. In the end, his 4 for 54 could not give Punjab the finish they desired.
2. Dwayne Bravo (CSK): 4/42 vs MI, 2013
Wipe out of the final of 2013 pretty much with Karanveer, Dwayne Bravo experienced a day full of struggles and hardships. Despite being the top wicket-taker for the CSK team, he gave away lots of runs.
Bravo was the bowler who delivered four overs out of the last seven. He managed to start amazingly by getting a wicket in his second over but the next two were tough for him.
Harbhajan Singh hit three boundaries before Bravo could take his wicket. After that, the Trinidadian got two more batsmen out in the last over to somewhat recover.
But the hard work was spoiled by Kieron Pollard’s two sixes on the last ball. In the end, CSK succumbed to the comparatively small target of 149 runs.
1. Anil Kumble (RCB): 4/16 vs Deccan Chargers, 2009
Anil Kumble was the holder of the best bowling figures in an IPL final and it was back in 2009. And all this while he was the captain of RCB.
The leg spinner made the final exciting by getting the other team’s first wicket. He tricked Adam Gilchrist, the captain of the other team, with a googly.
Kumble continued to operate and came back in the ninth over to disrupt a 40-run partnership. He bowled Andrew Symonds with another googly.
The leg-spinner was in the 17th over and he added two wickets to his tally, ending up with figures of 4 for 16. This enabled RCB to limit Deccan to 143. But Kumble’s effort was in vain as RCB goofed up the chase.
