The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season witnessed few of the world’s best bowlers unleash their magic alongside young Indian uncapped talent who rose to the occassion.
Sportstar takes a look at the top bowling spells from the 15th edition of the IPL.
Jasprit Bumrah – 5/10 (Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders, May 9, 2022)
In his poorest start to an IPL season since 2016, Mumbai Indians spearhead Jasprit Bumrah could only manage five wickets in the first 10 matches during his side’s horrendous campaign.
With the weight of a toothless bowling attack falling on his shoulders, Bumrah eventually broke free with a scintillating spell against the Kolkata Knight Riders on May 9. Bumrah packed Andre Russell and Nitish Rana in his second over. He stifled KKR further when he removed Sheldon Jackson, Pat Cummins and Sunil Narine in his next over – a triple-wicket maiden. Bumrah ended with figures of 4-1-10-5 – his career-best and the fifth-best ever in IPL history. However, his efforts went in vain as Mumbai fell short by 52 runs.
Umran Malik – 5/25 (Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Gujarat Titans, April 27, 2022)
In his first full-fledged IPL season, Umran Malik’s vicious speed became the talk of the town. Umran unleashed his best halfway into the tournament when he sent the Gujarat Titans batters for a toss during a manic spell.
After getting a quick start to its 196-run chase, GT opener Shubman Gill, was castled by Umran in his first over. The 22-year-old then troubled Gujarat skipper Hardik Pandya with a rapid bouncer in the next and followed up with a 152 kph thunderbolt to smash Wriddhiman Saha’s stumps. Umran romped to his maiden five-wicket haul (5/25) after cleaning up David Miller and Abhinav Manohar, even as GT pulled off a miraculous win.
Mukesh Choudhary – 3/19 (Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, April 21, 2022)
CSK’s young left-armer Mukesh Choudhary troubled Mumbai Indians with arguably the best PowerPlay spell of the season.
Mukesh prompted a loose chip from MI skipper Rohit Sharma off the second ball of the innings to mid-on. Two balls later, Mukesh had Kishan on his knees with a fiery yorker that sent his off-stump flying.
The left-armer completed his next over with the dismissal of Dewald Brevis with a ball that angled across the turf. He nearly added a fourth with the wicket of Tilak Verma before Dwayne Bravo spilt a catch at first slip.
Rashid Khan – 0/15 (Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals, May 24, 2022)
A game of high stakes – a ticket to the IPL final on the cards – and Rashid Khan reserved his best for the night. In the Qualifier 1 match between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals, nearly every bowler took a pounding save Rashid, who forced the RR batters into a rut.
After electing to bat on a high-scoring surface in Kolkata, Rajasthan got off to a firm start before Rashid entered into the attack post the PowerPlay. Rashid mounted the pressure on Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler after only conceding eight runs in his first two overs.
The reward was scalped at the other end when Samson holed out off Sai Kishore’s bowling. The spin wizard’s nagging spell left Rajasthan short of at least 15-20 runs as Gujarat waltzed to the final with a thrilling finish.
Kuldeep Sen – 1/35 (Rajasthan Royals vs Lucknow Super Giants, April 10, 2022)
While it may not possess the charm of the other spells on the list, Rajasthan Royals seamer Kuldeep Sen will cherish his IPL debut for a long time. Kuldeep was thrown into the deep end in his first match against the Lucknow Super Giants. He was tasked with defending 15 runs in the final over in a 166-run chase.
Despite the presence of a menacing Marcus Stoinis, Kuldeep thrust three fuller deliveries on a tight line with the Aussie missing each of them. Stoinis finished with two boundaries but it was all too late. RR edged LSG by three runs and Kuldeep passed his first test with a steely resolve.
