All the eight franchises in the Indian Premier League possess terrific strikers of the ball, but more often than not, the game is won or lost because of the manner in which a particular side bowls.
Be it taking early wickets in the powerplay or restricting the run scoring at the death, it is the prowess of the bowlers which goes a long way in deciding an IPL game. Here is a list of the top five wicket-takers in the first 12 seasons of the league:
Lasith Malinga
Before pulling out of IPL 13, Lasith Malinga had been an integral part of the Mumbai Indians franchise. He not only won Mumbai Indians the IPL 2019 title by taking a wicket off the last ball of the match but has also picked up 170 wickets from 122 IPL matches at an average of under 20 and a strike rate of 16.62. Despite bowling at the death, Malinga has maintained an economy rate of 7.14 and has picked up six four-wicket hauls.
Amit Mishra
Someone who can easily go under the radar, Amit Mishra sits at the second spot in the list of highest wicket-takers of all time in the IPL. Mishra, who is not even a certainty in the Delhi Capitals playing XI in IPL 13, has picked up 157 wickets from 147 games at an average of 24.19 and a strike rate of 19.75.
Piyush Chawla
Another Indian leg-spinner to find a place in the list of the highest wicket-takers in the IPL, Piyush Chawla has picked up 151 wickets at a rate of slightly less than one wicket per game. In 158 matches, Chawla has bowled at an average of 27.10 and has picked up two four-wicket hauls. Chawla, who was a mainstay for the Kolkata Knight Riders for several years, has recently switched franchises, moving to Chennai Super Kings. Harbhajan Singh
Like Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh, too, pulled out of the 13th season of the Indian Premier League. Just like the slinger, Singh too finds a place among the top five wicket-takers in the IPL. He has picked up 150 wickets from 160 IPL matches at an average of 26.4. Similar to Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan was also part of the Mumbai Indians franchises for the longest time, before he went to Chennai Super Kings.
Dwayne Bravo
With 147 wickets from 134 matches, Dwayne Bravo has become synonymous with death bowling for Chennai Super Kings. There are not many who use the slower delivery better than Bravo. The 'champion' West Indian has a special place in the IPL and has bowled at an average of 24.60 and an economy of 8.39.
