A dangerous batsman in IPL is one who, through his batting, puts the opposing side under pressure. Similarly, a dangerous IPL bowler is one who uses his bowling skills to put the opposing side under pressure. In contrast to other game forms like test and ODI, where getting a wicket is regarded as one of a bowler’s most crucial skills, t20 cricket is the opposite. In t20 leagues such as the IPL, bowlers are usually more concerned with bowling dot balls than taking wickets. As a result, bowling dot ball is regarded as one of the most important primary factors in determining whether or not any T20 bowler is dangerous. While bowling average, strike rate, and economy are considered secondary factors in deciding whether a bowler is dangerous.
Why are bowling dot balls regarded as an important factor in determining whether a T20 bowler is dangerous? The answer is quite simple. When batters enter the pitch in T20 leagues like the IPL, they have only a few balls to play. As a result, missing any ball without scoring puts any batter under pressure. As a result, dot balls lose the batter’s wicket and increase the chances of any team’s success. This is why the dot ball is considered the strongest weapon of any t20 bowler. Now, we will explore the top 10 dangerous bowlers in IPL history.
Most Dangerous Fast Bowlers in IPL
| Bowler | Team | Wickets | Dots | Maiden | BBF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | SRH | 154 | 1406 | 11 | 5/19 |
| Sunil Narine | KKR | 152 | 1391 | 3 | 5/19 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | RR | 157 | 1387 | 4 | 4/34 |
| Lasith Malinga | MI | 170 | 1155 | 8 | 5/13 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | MI | 145 | 1120 | 8 | 5/10 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | RR | 166 | 1032 | 4 | 5/40 |
| Rashid Khan | GT | 112 | 879 | 3 | 4/24 |
Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah is the most dangerous fast bowler in IPL history. His bowling variation, speed, and capacity for picking up quick wickets put him among the best bowlers in the IPL. In recent years, he has been the main danger for IPL batters. His bowling speed and variations frequently deceive batters. He puts the opposite team under pressure through his maiden overs and dot balls. He has bowled 1145 dot balls in his IPL career so far. On average, he bowls 9.5 dot balls in every match, which is an impressive record for Jasprit Bumrah.
| Jasprit Bumrah Total Dot Balls | 1145 |
| Average Dot Balls / Match | 9.5 |
Now, we will explore his top three seasons with the most wickets. His successful IPL season was in 2020 when he took 27 wickets in the season.
| Top 03 Seasons | Wickets |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 20 |
| 2020 | 27 |
| 2021 | 21 |
Jasprit Burmah is known for his match-winning performances. Whenever Bumrah took an early wicket, the chances of winning increased exponentially. His 74 percent of IPL wickets came in won matches, while 40 percent came in lost matches.
Bumrah bowled the most dangerous spell against KKR in 2023. He took five wickets by conceding only ten runs in four overs. He was awarded man of the match awards in this IPL match
| Match Outcome | J Bumrah’s Wickets | Percentage Wickets |
| Won Match | 89 | 74 |
| Lost Match | 49 | 40 |
Bhuvenshwar Kumar
After Jasprit Bumrah, Buneshwar Kumar is the most dangerous bowler in the IPL. What makes him so dangerous? His swing bowling and control of line and length makes him one of the most dangerous IPL bowler.
B Kumar is also the most destructive bowler to the opening batters in the IPL. He dented the opposition’s batting lineup several times with his swing and length bowling. This seam and swing bowling assists him in taking openers out. This is why he is always selected as a front-line bowler for his IPL team. He has bowled the most dot balls in IPL (1406).
| B Kumar Dot Balls | 1406 |
| Average Dot Balls / Match | 9.3 |
Now, we shall look at the top three seasons of Bhuvesnhawar Kumar, when he took the most wickets and was a dangerous bowler.
| Top 03 Seasons | Wickets |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 20 |
| 2016 | 23 |
| 2017 | 26 |
Now, we will explore the outcome of matches where B Kumar played an important bowling role. He has been part of 63 wins and 83 losses for his IPL team.
| Match Outcome | B Kumar Wickets | Percentage Wickets |
| Won Match | 87 | 56 |
| Lost Match | 66 | 42 |
Lasith Malinga
Even though Lasith Malinga has given up playing cricket, his name keeps popping up among the top IPL bowlers. He was an IPL legend who significantly impacted the league, not just a bowler for the Mumbai Indians. He will always be remembered as a yorker king of IPL.
Lasith Malinga had excellent IPL seasons in 2010,2011, and 2014. He was named to the Cricinfo IPL XI for his outstanding performance during these seasons. He was the IPL leading wicket-taker until Dwayne Bravo surpassed him. He took 170 wickets in 122 IPL match with an economy rate of 7.
Lasith Malinga bowled one of the most destructive spells in 2011 against Delhi Capitals. Malinga was at his prime; he single-handedly destroyed the batting line of DC at 95 by taking five wickets.
Now, we will explore Lasith Malinga’s number of dot balls in IPL. He bowled 1155 dots in 170 matches of IPL.
| Lasith Malinga’s Dot Balls | 1155 |
| Average Dot Balls / Match | 6.7 |
Hence, on average, Malinga bowled 6.7 dot balls out of the allotted 24 balls in every match of IPL.
Similarly, we will look at IPL seasons where Lasith Malinga was the most dangerous bowler. His top three wicket-taking seasons were 2011, 2015, and 2012. His number of wickets in these seasons is as follows.
| Top 03 Wicket’s Season | Wickets |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 28 |
| 2012 | 22 |
| 2015 | 24 |
How dangerous has Malinga been in his team’s wins and losses in the IPL? The majority of Lasith Malinga’s IPL wickets won matches for his team. He was part of 73 won matches for his IPL team. Similarly, he was part of 43 losses for his team.
| Match Outcome | Lasith Malinga’s Wickets | Percentage Wickets |
| Won Match | 122 | 71 |
| Lost Match | 26 | 15 |
Most Dangerous Spin Bowlers in IPL
Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal is an unmatched attacking spinner in the Indian Premier League. Before taking up cricket, he was a professional chess player. With his aggressive spin bowling, Yuzvendra Chahal’s squad won numerous games. His ability to take quick wickets propelled him to the top of the IPL wicket-takers list. On average, he took at least 12 wickets in each season of the IPL.
He has a 1032 dot ball to his name in 166 IPL matches. This illustrates that he is among the top bowlers who can easily put pressure on opposing batters.
| Y Chahal Dot Balls | 1032 |
| Average Dot Balls / Match | 6.2 |
Now, we will explore the top 03 seasons of Y Chahal with the highest wickets in IPL.
| Top 03 Seasons | Wickets |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 27 |
| 2015 | 23 |
| 2016 | 21 |
IPL season 2022 was an outstanding season for Y Chahal with 27 wickets in that season. This is the most wickets he has taken in any single season of IPL. Now, we will explore the outcome of the matches in which Y Chahal played an important role for his team.
| Match Outcome | Y Chahal Wickets | Percentage Wickets |
| Won Match | 88 | 53 |
| Lost Match | 74 | 44 |
He was part of 67 wins and 60 losses for his IPL team. About 53 percent of his wickets came in 88 won matches for his team, while the remaining 44 percent came in lost 74 matches.
Ravi Ashwin
Ravi Ashwin is a true all-rounder who excelled in the IPL. He plays according to the game’s situation, which is a rare quality. He is equally effective in all types of bowling conditions. Sometimes he begins bowling innings for his team, and other times he begins in the middle of the bowling. It does not matter if he starts bowling at the beginning or in the middle, but he takes a much-needed wicket on every occasion of the match. This is why he is known for giving his IPL team a quick breakthrough.
He bowled 1387 dot balls in 184 IPL matches. Therefore, he ranked among the top bowlers of the IPL who bowl dot balls very often and put pressure on the opposition.
| R Ashwin Dot Balls | 1387 |
| Average Dot Balls / Match | 7.5 |
Now, we shall look at Ravi Ashwin’s top three IPL wicket-taking seasons. His maximum wickets in a season of IPL came in 2011.
| Top 03 Seasons | Wickets |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 20 |
| 2014 | 16 |
| 2019 | 15 |
Ashwin was part of 101 won matches and 79 lost matches for his team. About 65 percent of wickets came in won matches while the remaining 25 came in lost matches of IPL.
Rashid Khan
The IPL has boosted the careers of both Indian and foreign cricketers. Rashid Khan is a foreign bowler who has made a name for himself in the IPL. He has been a consistent performer in the IPL for several years and has a large fan base in this league. Fans absolutely love his teasing googly, which has affected the careers of numerous top batters. His bowling variations aided him in accomplishing the top ranking in the IPL.
He has bowled 879 dot balls in 112 IPL matches. On average, he bowled 7.8 dot balls in every IPL match. This shows his dangerous role as a bowling king of IPL.
| Rashid Khan Dot Balls | 879 |
| Average Dot Balls / Match | 7.8 |
Now, we will look at the top three IPL seasons with the most wickets.
| Top 03 Seasons | Wickets |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 21 |
| 2020 | 20 |
| 2022 | 19 |
His best IPL season was in 2018 when he took 21 wickets. In the 2022 season of IPL, Rashid Khan took 19 wickets in the season.
Now, we will explore his role in won and loss match of IPL. He is part of 44 won and 48 lost matches in his IPL career.
| Match Outcome | R Khan Wickets | Percentage Wickets |
| Won Match | 64 | 57 |
| Lost Match | 46 | 41 |
Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine is the bowler with magical spin variations. He showed up in the majority of IPL games for his team, the Kolkata Knight Riders. His most famous bowling variations include Knuckleballs and carrom balls. He used these deliveries to deceive many batters, resulting in a wicket loss. He is one of the most dangerous bowlers and and won most man of the match awards in IPL by aby bowler. He is also known for his ability to ball well in the Powerplay of the match.
He also bowled a lot of dot balls to put pressure on the opposition batters. He bowled 1391 dot balls in 148 IPL matches. On average, he bowls 9.3 dot balls in every IPL match, which is considered a significant number to put pressure on the opposition batter.
| S Narine Dot Balls | 1391 |
| Average Dot Balls / Match | 9.3 |
His top 03 IPL seasons in terms of most wickets are as follows. His most successful IPL season was 2012 when he took 24 wickets in that season.
| Top 03 Seasons | Wickets |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 24 |
| 2013 | 22 |
| 2014 | 21 |
He was part of 83 won and 64 lost matches of IPL. About 59 percent of his wickets came in won matches while 40 percent of his wickets came in lost matches of IPL.
| Match Outcome | S Narine Wickets | Percentage Wickets |
| Won Match | 90 | 59 |
| Lost Match | 62 | 40 |
Most Dangerous Bowler in IPL 2023
Sam Curran is the most dangerous bowler in IPL 2023. Although Curran has been playing IPL since 2019, everyone can see improvement in his bowling with time. Sam Curran has good control of his speed and swing and uses slower ones very effectively. A slower one deceives the batter that helped him to get a wicket or dot ball.
He showed his magical skills in the T20 world cup 2023 and became third highest wicket-taker in the tournament. His bowling spell against Pakistan in the world cup final helped England to win the title.
Let’s check Sam Curran’s IPL Career
| Matches | Overs | MDNS | Runs | Wickets | BBF | ECON | 4w | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 32 | 108 | 0 | 995 | 32 | 4/11 | 9.21 | 1 | 2019-2021 |
| Super Kings | 23 | 75 | 0 | 672 | 22 | 3/19 | 8.96 | 0 | 2020-2021 |
| Kings XI | 9 | 33 | 0 | 323 | 10 | 4/11 | 9.78 | 1 | 2019-2019 |
