Best death bowlers in IPL history

Some of the best batsmen’s finishers have come out of the Indian Premier League. But the biggest pressure in the tournament usually lies with the bowlers in the last four overs. These death overs make the difference between winning or losing the match, securing the title, and even getting into the playoffs. Only a few bowlers have been able to perform consistently well in these difficult overs over the past few seasons. While Dwayne Bravo bowled his slow deliveries, Jasprit Bumrah delivered yorkers. All of them changed the equation of death overs from disaster to domination. Here is a list of the best death overs’ bowlers in IPL and how they earned their name in the most testing overs.

Being a death overs bowler in the IPL means being accurate, innovative, and taking the right decisions. This is because batters always go hard after hitting the first delivery, and there is no margin for error in such overs. Bowlers like Dwayne Bravo, Lasith Malinga, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have done well under such circumstances.

Best IPL Death Bowlers

1. Dwayne Bravo 

Dwayne Bravo continues to be the most successful death bowling bowler in the history of IPL, with 102 wickets from overs 17 to 20. The accomplishment was made possible by him in 125 innings and also he stands out to be the only bowler who crossed the milestone of taking 100 wickets during this period. He depended less on speed and more on variations, making the opposition batsmen play strokes in an improper manner. Additionally, 344 dot balls were also bowled by him with a bowling average of 17.74 in the high-risk phase of T20 cricket. His role in Chennai Super Kings’ success made him the gold standard for death bowling.

2. Lasith Malinga 

Lasith Malinga changed the way death bowling was viewed in T20 cricket. The former Mumbai Indians star picked up 90 wickets in death overs with an outstanding economy rate of 7.82, the best among leading names on this list. Malinga’s low-arm sling action made his yorkers extremely difficult to read. He conceded only 1,196 runs in 917 balls during death overs and maintained a stunning average of 13.28. His famous final over in the 2019 IPL final against Chennai Super Kings remains one of the defining moments in league history.

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3. Jasprit Bumrah 

Bumrah earned his reputation by being known as one of the most reliable bowlers when the pressure was on. The bowler has been instrumental in picking up 86 wickets in death overs in the IPL while managing an impressive economy of 8.34. Bumrah’s forte lies in his unpredictability. With late swinging yorkers and slower balls, Bumrah makes scoring tough even for some of the best finishers. The bowler has managed to bowl as many as 403 dot balls, the most among the others.

4. Bhuvneshwar Kumar 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar sits second on the all-time list with 93 death-over wickets. Across 151 innings, he became known for discipline rather than raw speed. His strength came from accuracy. Wide yorkers, slower balls, and tight lines allowed him to restrict scoring in difficult conditions. Bhuvneshwar also delivered 376 dot balls in death overs, the most by an Indian bowler. His consistency helped Sunrisers Hyderabad during multiple playoff campaigns and earned him back-to-back Purple Caps in 2016 and 2017.

5. Harshal Patel 

One of the most impactful death bowlers in the IPL was Harshal Patel, who accounted for 70 wickets in the last few overs of matches. This happened because of Harshal’s ability to bowl various varieties instead of relying on speed. Harshal perfected the art of delivering slow off cutters, which dipped down at the last second just before the bat hit it. These deliveries helped him create problems with the batting technique and chances for taking wickets. Harshal achieved an impressive bowling average of 16.82 along with 233 dot balls in death overs.