Top 5 Bowlers with Most Wickets on IPL Debut
Several cricketers from different countries have risen in fame, thanks to the abundant talent and skill they have displayed through their participation in the league. Post the KKR – MI match, a new debutant, Ashwani Kumar has come into the limelight for his 4 for 24 figures.
Along with him in the exceptional debut performance category, is the speedster Shoaib Akhtar for his 4 for 11 and the star Kevon Cooper with the 4 for 26 figures.
In this article, we will explore the top 5 bowlers with most wickets on their IPL debut.
- Kevon Cooper’s 4/26 vs PBKS In 2012
In IPL 2012, West Indies all-rounder Kevon Cooper made his debut for the Rajasthan Royals against the Punjab Kings. In his debut match, he grabbed the attention thanks to his bowling excellence and registered the fifth-best bowling figure in his IPL debut so far.
In the second innings of the match, Cooper secured four important wickets by dismissing batters Paul Valthaty, Shaun Marsh, Abhishek Nayar and Piyush Chawla.
He ended the match with a brilliant spell of 4 for 26.
- Ashwani Kumar’s 4/24 vs KKR In 2025
The most recent addition to this list, straight off the encounter between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, the debutant bowler Ashwani Kumar hogged the spotlight with his unbelievable spell, which dismantled KKR’s batting lineup.
After bagging a thrilling four-wicket haul, the bowler successfully etched his name in the elite list. His fiery pace sent Ajinkya Rahane Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, and Andre Russell back to the pavilion.
Kumar’s magical figure of 4 for 24 in three overs takes the spot as the fourth-best bowling figure in IPL debut.
- Shoaib Akhtar’s 4/11vs DC In 2008
The ‘Rawalpindi Express’, Shoaib Akhtar is known to be one of the fastest bowlers of his era. His lethal speed of 150 kph on an average often disturbed the opposition.
In the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008, Akhtar made his mark in his debut match against the Delhi Capitals with his fiery bowling. After taking Virender Sehwag’s wicket on a duck, he went on dismiss the stalwarts Gautam Gambhir, AB de Villiers and Manoj Tiwary.
With a dominating four-wicket haul while giving away just 11 runs, he holds the third position on the list as of today.
- Andrew Tye’s 5/17 vs RPS In 2017
Cricketers from Australian are known for their prowess and acumen. Andrew Tye was no exception to that either. In his debut match against the Rising Pune Supergiants, he swayed the crowd with his bowling brilliance, while bowling for then team Gujarat Lions.
In that match, he marked his first wicket after dismissing Rahul Tripathi and continued his impact by dismissing Ben Stokes, Manoj Tiwary, Ankit Sharma and Shardul Thakur.
Tye’s brilliant spell of 5 for 17 runs remains a hard to break record even today.
- Alzarri Joseph’s 6/12 vs SRH In 2019
The top position in this list is taken by the bowler from West Indies, Alzarri Joseph.
Currently, he holds the record for the best bowling figure on an IPL debut. Playing for Mumbai Indians, he toppled Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting lineup in 2019, starting with opener David Warner.
Joseph then sent Vijay Shankar, Deepak Hooda, Rashid Khan, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar back to their dressing room, before dismissing Siddharth Kaul, that too for a duck.
With a dream spell of 6 wickets for just 12 runs, along with a maiden over in the 4 overs bowled, Alzarri has surely etched his name in IPL history for being the best bowler in a debut match.
Indian Premier League, IPL 2025 is surely turning out to be a year of promising debuts and future potential stars in the T20 cricket.
By: Tulika Agarwal
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