We are halfway through the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League and one glaring aspect of this tournament has been the upcoming of a few gems in the bowling department.
T20 is not only about the big shots anymore, but it’s also about wickets at crucial times. Breakthroughs in the first six overs or tight bowling at the death is crucial to any T20 side in the world.
Here’s a look at five interesting bowlers that have risen to the occasion in IPL 2018.
1. Mayank Markande
Mayank Markande played only four T20s before IPL 2018, but has taken the competition by storm with his leg breaks. Mumbai Indians’ Markande has picked up 10 wickets in seven matches at an average of 17.30.
Markande recorded his best figures of this IPL against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He picked up four wickets for 23 runs, but it still wasn’t enough for Mumbai to stop Sunrisers from securing a target of 149 runs.
2. Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Playing in his first IPL, Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman has made quite an impression in seven matches for the Kings XI Punjab. The 17-year-old has taken seven wickets at an average of 25.14.
Rahman has chipped in a with a wicket in five out of the seven matches that he has played and more importantly, has conceded runs at a low rate. The off-spinner has bowled at an economy rate of 6.51.
3. Jofra Archer
Rajasthan Royals’ Jofra Archer has played only two matches so far as he was out action due to a side strain, but he has already made a huge impact with the ball. Archer has slipped into the role of a death bowler perfectly.
The fast bowler from Barbados has picked up six wickets in two matches, and all six of them have been taken in the death overs. Archer took three wickets in the 19th over against Mumbai Indians. In the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Archer picked up two wickets in the 18th over and one wickets in the final over. He has bowled at an excellent economy rate of 6.00 as well.
4. Deepak Chahar
Deepak Chahar, the fast bowler from Uttar Pradesh, has got his longest run in a single season of the IPL. After playing two and three matches in 2016 and 2017, Chahar has played seven out of eight matches for Chennai Super Kings this season.
Chahar, who has been given the responsibility of opening the bowling, has taken six wickets at an average of 25.50 this season.
The 25-year-old excelled against Rajasthan Royals, picking up figures of 2/30 and he recorded his best IPL figures of 3/15 against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
5. Ankit Rajpoot
Kings XI Punjab’s fast bowler Ankit Rajpoot has shown tremendous skill in the three matches that he has played so far. The 24-year-old ripped through the top order of the Sunrisers Hyderabad batting line-up and ended up with figures of 5/14.
In the match against Delhi Daredevils, Rajpoot returned with figures of 2/23, which helped his team defend a meagre total of 143/8.
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