The Indian Premier League (IPL), an international sports extravaganza, is known for delivering top-notch cricket. The tournament provides all of the thrills and spills of cricket, from high-scoring thrillers to low-scoring nail-biters, with fantastic bat-and-ball contests. Despite the fact that the T20 format is ideally suited for batsmen, a variety of bowlers have been able to compete in the tournament.
These bowlers have consistently taken wickets and stifled the run-flow. Despite the fact that they don’t get as much coverage as match-winners like batsmen, their job is just as critical, if not more so. We take a peek at the top 5 leading wicket-takers in IPL history as the 2021 edition approaches.
List of players with most wickets in IPL history upto 2020
| SN | Player | Matches | Innings | Wickets |
| 1 | Lasith Malinga | 122 | 122 | 170 |
| 2 | Amit Mishra | 150 | 150 | 160 |
| 3 | Piyush Chawla | 164 | 163 | 156 |
| 4 | Dwayne Bravo | 140 | 137 | 153 |
| 5 | Harbhajan Singh | 160 | 157 | 150 |
| 6 | Ravichandran Ashwin | 154 | 151 | 138 |
| 7 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 121 | 121 | 136 |
| 8 | Sunil Narine | 120 | 119 | 127 |
| 9 | Yuzvendra Chahal | 99 | 98 | 121 |
| 10 | Umesh Yadav | 121 | 120 | 119 |
5. Harbhajan Singh – 150 wickets
Harbhajan Singh, the iconic Indian off-spinner, is a familiar face in the IPL. He has played for both the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings and has regularly done well. Although he was unable to play in the 2020 edition of the tournament due to personal reasons, he will be seen in action in 2021 after being purchased at the auction by the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise. Harbhajan has taken 150 wickets in the tournament’s 160 matches.
4. Dwayne Bravo – 153 wickets
Dwayne Bravo, one of the world’s most dependable all-rounders, has been MS Dhoni’s go-to man in the death overs for Chennai Super Kings. The batsmen have been bothered by the West Indians’ clever shifts in pace and combinations, which have culminated in a significant number of wickets falling. Bravo’s IPL career has slowed recently, but he’ll be looking to get back on track in 2021. Bravo has 153 wickets in just 140 appearances.
3. Piyush Chawla – 156 wickets
Piyush Chawla’s bowling results in the IPL haven’t garnered much attention, as he has never been considered for the Purple Cap in any of the previous iterations. His accuracy in picking up wickets, on the other hand, has been exceptional. He has become one of the best silent actors in the IPL, so much so that he sometimes goes unnoticed. Chawla has been signed by the Mumbai Indians for the 2021 season after an unsuccessful season with the Chennai Super Kings last year. In 164 played, Piyush Chawla has 156 wickets.
2. Amit Mishra – 160 wickets
Without a doubt, Amit Mishra is the greatest Indian bowler in the history of the IPL. He holds a variety of records, including the most hattricks (he has three). His potential to take wickets has been unrivalled by Indian cricketers. Also the best batsmen have been taken off balance by his variants, which include the lethal googly. Mishra is currently playing for the Delhi Capitals, but he isn’t having many opportunities to play. Mishra has a total of 160 wickets in 150 played.
1. Lasith Malinga – 170 wickets
Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka is without a doubt the best bowler in IPL history. Malinga was instrumental in the Mumbai Indians becoming the most successful team in the IPL’s history. Batsmen also found his outstanding yorkers and imaginative combinations to be too much for them to tackle, and they have fallen prey to him more frequently than not. Malinga has announced his retirement, having last competed in the IPL in 2019. In just 122 games, he has taken 170 wickets.