It’s also a very common scenario where batters break and make records all the time but at the same time, bowlers also have had their days of glory. This has been a case in point with the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well.
The IPL has been the battleground of some of the best bowlers in the world who displayed their skills with elegant performances. Some of them became immortal in the record books because of their amazing bowling figures of the day.
Now let’s consider the top five best bowling figures which were presented in IPL history.
5. Akash Madhwal (MI) – 5/5 vs LSG, 2023
Akash Madhwal was one of the 2023 IPL stars players. The simplest explanation of this is the great bowling he did through the team eliminator match.
He started the match with a four-wicket haul that got MI to playoffs. And he carried the same form to the next game which was even more crucial.
Madhwal’s early wicket allowed MI to keep LSG under control while defending 182 runs, but then Madhwal was the one who blew off the bubble by wiping out LSG’s middle and lower order to let MI into Qualifier two.
4. Anil Kumble (RCB) – 5/5 vs RR, 2009
Before Madhwal, Anil Kumble had the same figures, almost 14 years earlier. His performance could not have been better timed than the one against the Rajasthan Royals (RR).
With 134 runs to be defended, the Royal Challengers of Bengaluru (RCB) were looking for a miracle from their bowlers. And Kumble delivered.
He gradually got through the middle and lower order of RR and bowled them out for a paltry score of 58 runs. And just when the last wicket of RR fell, Kumble claimed his five-wicket haul.
3. Adam Zampa (RPSG) – 6/19 vs SRH, 2016
Adam Zampa might not be a consistent player in the IPL, but he surely had a moment in the match back in 2016. The leg spinner took full advantage of the Vizag pitch which had grip and turn and made the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batters restless
SRH planned to up the scoring rate in the last overs, but Zampa made sure that was not possible. He took wickets on every possible occasion and returned with figures of 6 for 19.
RPSG could otherwise not take the game, yet Zampa was rewarded with the Player of the Match title.
2. Sohail Tanvir (RR) – 6/14 vs CSK, 2008
Everyone probably knows the first centurion of the IPL. However, do you know who the first bowler was to take five wickets in an innings of the league?
Well, the answer is Sohail Tanvir, who was once the leading performer in this regard. He didn’t just take five wickets; he also had a record figure that stayed the best for almost ten years.
The first part of the performance was hitting the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) top order, and then he moved to the lower order and worked them over. His initial success and the late straws gave him the incredible figures of 6 for 14.
1. Alzarri Joseph (MI) – 6/12 vs SRH, 2019
What else can one expect from a player taking the field for his first match? A bit of pressure, nervousness, and so forth, right? But Alzarri Joseph was not like that.
The Caribbean pacer totally changed his debut in the Indian Premier League. Joseph choked more than half of the SRH team in a game held in 2019.
After Rahul Chahar had got the first wicket, Joseph smelt a chance and did not let it slip by. He finished with bowling figures of 6 for 12, which helped MI in defending their score of 136.
Joseph’s performance is the best of all IPL bowlers and even a debutant player.
