Best Bowling Performances of Ravichandran Ashwin in IPL
A veteran in the Indian setup as well as the IPL tournament, Ravichandran Ashwin has produced many a match-winning spell for every one of the sides he has played for. Having always been an accurate and clever bowler, Ashwin added additional skills to his game as T20 cricket came around, developing the famous ‘carrom ball’ and even opening the bowling with some regularity.
These skills have helped him scalp a number of wickets in the IPL, with some of his most memorable outings mentioned below in this list of the top 5 Top Bowling Performance of Ravichandran Ashwin in IPL career.
Best Bowling Performance of Ravichandran Ashwin in IPL
5. 3.5-0-23-3 vs Delhi Daredevils (2012)
Kicking off this list of the top 5 bowling performances of Ravichandran Ashwin in the IPL is his three-wicket haul against Delhi Daredevils that set up an easy win for Chennai Super Kings in 2012. CSK had posted a commanding 222/5 in the first innings, led by a sparkling 113 off just 58 balls from Murali Vijay. Ashwin matched his Tamil Nadu state-mate in the second innings, taking the crucial wickets of Mahela Jayawardene and Andre Russell before also sending Umesh Yadav back to the Pavillion late on. Ashwin ended up with 3/23 in his 3.5 overs as Delhi folded up for 136 in the 19th over to hand CSK the win by 86 runs.
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4. 2-0-5-2 vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2015)
The next entry on this list of the top 5 bowling performances of Ravichandran Ashwin comes from the 2015 edition of the tournament when Chennai Super Kings took on Kolkata Knight Riders. Batting first, CSK had put on 134/6 as the bowlers made full use of the friendly conditions in Chennai. Ashwin, who knows the ground intimately, was in his element, dismissing the dangerous Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey early on to halt the KKR charge. Although he only bowled two overs, Ashwin ended up with figures of 2/5 that were crucial in KKR being held to 132/9 as CSK won the match by 2 runs.
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3. 4-0-16-3 vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2009)
Another three-wicket haul featuring on this list of the top 5 bowling performances of Ravichandran Ashwin in the IPL, this one coming in 2009 against Kolkata Knight Riders again. KKR were in deep trouble before Angelow Mathews’ cautious 48 took them to 139/8 in the first innings, with Ashwin, in particular, is extremely effective. The Tamil Nadu spinner took care of Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum, and David Hussey, all extremely dangerous batsmen, as he finished with figures of 3/16 in four overs. In reply, half-centuries from Murali Vijay and Suresh Raina led Chennai to a facile 9-wicket win.
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2. 4-0-16-3 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (2011)
The next entry on this list of the top 5 bowling performances of Ravichandran Ashwin comes from an extremely important match, as it was the final of the 2011 edition of the tournament. Playing for Chennai Super Kings against Royal Challengers Bangalore, CSK were led by Murali Vijay’s superb 95 and Michael Hussey’s excellent 63 as they posted 205/5 in the first innings. In reply, their innings was never allowed to get going by Ashwin and Co., the former picking up the wickets of Mayank Agarwal and Chris Gayle early on before coming back to bag Daniel Vettori as well. His 3/16 helped Chennai lift the trophy that year.
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1. 4-0-34-4 vs Kings XI Punjab (2016)
Ashwin’s one and only four-wicket haul in the tournament comes from the 2016 edition of the tournament when he was playing for Rising Pune Supergiant against one of his former sides, Kings XI Punjab. Although Murali Vijay and Gurkeerat Singh Mann scored half-centuries, Ashwin’s 4/34 in four overs helped keep them to 172/7. The wily off-spinner bagged the scalps of Hashim Amla and David Miller as well as both half-centurions, playing a crucial role in limiting the Kings XI score. In reply, Pune were helped by a sparkling 64* off 32 balls from skipper MS Dhoni, with Ashwin present at the other end to help MSD see the side home.
