Although it’s the batsmen that walk away with most of the glory during the IPL, the impact the bowlers have on each match cannot be discounted. In fact, while each team has at least one batsman piling on the runs, the team with the most successful bowlers is usually the one that seals progression into the next stage of the tournament. The bowler who finishes with the most wickets at the end of the season is awarded the prestigious Purple Cap, which is much sought-after among the bowlers in the tournament. Ahead of the 2020 season, let’s take a look at 5 bowlers who have a big chance of winning this coveted prize.
5. Kagiso Rabada
The young South African pacer seems to enjoy bowling in Indian conditions and has had excellent outings whenever he has toured here, whether it’s in the IPL or with the national team. In fact, Rabada was enjoying a great season last year with the Delhi Capitals and would have been in the reckoning to take the coveted prize home had he not suffered an injury halfway through the tournament. A devastating mix of speed and skill, Rabada is virtually unplayable on his day. He extracts movement off the deck early on and is able to revert to his tried and tested bouncers and yorkers (which he bowls with great accuracy) in the latter half of the innings. The Arun Jaitley Stadium, where Rabada will play his home games this season, suits his style of fast bowling as well. What’s more, Rabada will be part of the South African team visiting India ahead of the IPL, so he will get in some additional practice as well!
4. Pat Cummins
One of the world’s premier fast bowlers, Pat Cummins has only injury to blame for not completely dominating the bowling charts right now. The Aussie speedster showed exactly why he is so highly regarded in world cricket with a superb Ashes showing, where he displayed not just his ability to take wickets but also to bowl as part of a unit. He also has previous experience of playing in the tournament, having featured for the Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders in the pst before linking up with KKR again ahead of this season. With the T20 World Cup on the horizon, Cummins will surely be looking at the IPL as vital practice for the format.
3. Rashid Khan
Although spinners rarely turn out to be the winners of the Purple Cap, the ever-dangerous Rashid Khan possesses all the skills necessary to buck the trend and take the prize home. The young Afghan, who has already spent a couple of seasons in the IPL, has emerged as one of the most successful bowlers in the tournament, and in T20 cricket in general. His brand of fast-ish leg-spin with variations thrown in at just the right moment seems to bamboozle batsmen at every level. The fact that he plays for one of the pre-tournament favourites in Sunrisers Hyderabad only enhances his chances of achieving the top spot in the table!
2. Imran Tahir
The veteran South African leggie is a proven matchwinner for his country as well as the IPL franchise he represents. Tahir was a part of the Delhi Daredevils before moving to Chennai Super Kings where his bowling seems to have gotten better with age! Although he might go for a few runs from time to time, Tahir’s fearless bowling is always good for a wicket or two, and with MS Dhoni as his captain, his results have been quite phenomenal. The current holder of the title, the now 40-year-old shows no signs of stopping and will definitely be looking to repeat his exploits from the 2019 season!
1. Jasprit Bumrah
Although his comeback to the Indian team following a stress fracture in his back has not been as smooth as he would have hoped, Jasprit Bumrah remains a threat to any batsman in the IPL. His unorthodox action, coupled with the unerring accuracy of his yorkers and his uncanny ability to pull out the right variation in pace and line at the right time makes him a genuine contender for the Purple Cap this season. It also helps that he is usually deployed at times when the batsman is looking to score big, i.e. at the start and at the end of the innings, which means that there is always more chance of him picking up wickets.
