Top 5 Best Bowling Performances of Shahbaz Nadeem in IPL

Best Bowling Performances of Shahbaz Nadeem in IPL

A true stalwart in the domestic circuit, Shahbaz Nadeem has always been a consistent performer for Jharkhand but never made the step up to the national side. It was after the IPL came about that his talents came to the fore – a wily customer who relies on flight and guile to deceive batsmen, Nadeem was snapped up by the Delhi franchise.

Equally comfortable opening the bowling with the new ball in T20s as he is coming in to bowl in the middle overs, Nadeem’s experience and calmness is a real bonus for any T20 captain. The left-arm has a knack of picking up wickets at the top of the innings with his unerring line and length, which has made for some memorable performances.

5 Best Bowling Performances of Shahbaz Nadeem in IPL

The very best of these are recounted here in this list of the top bowling performances of Shahbaz Nadeem in IPL career, which he will be extending with Sunrisers Hyderabad after moving over from Delhi in 2019.

5. 4-0-34-2 vs Rajasthan Royals (2018)

We start this look back at the top 5 best bowling performances of Shahbaz Nadeem in IPL matches with his spell for Delhi Daredevils against Rajasthan Royals in a rain-curtailed affair. Batting first, Rajasthan Royals posted 153/5 in an innings that was scaled down to 17.5 overs due to the rain, thanks largely to the efforts of Ajinkya Rahane (45) and Sanju Samson (37). Both batsmen were dismissed by Nadeem before they could inflict real damage, with the left-arm spinner ending up with figures of 2/34 in 4 overs. Unfortunately for Delhi, rain descended on the ground again and they were forced to chase a revised total of 71 in 6 overs. This proved to be too much to ask, as they eventually fell short by 10 runs.

4. 3-0-23-2 vs Gujarat Lions (2016)

Sticking with Nadeem’s time with Delhi Daredevils, we have another economical and accurate spell of bowling, this time coming against Gujarat Lions in 2016. Gujarat batted first and got off to a very poor start, losing 3 wickets in the first 4 overs. Nadeem was responsible for two of those dismissals, sending Dwayne Smith and Aaron Finch back to the pavilion cheaply. The left-armed ended up with figures of 2/32 in 3 overs as the Lions could only manage 149/7 in 20 overs. In response, Rishabh Pant’s blistering 69 took Delhi to victory in just 17.2 overs for the loss of 2 wickets.

3. 4-0-17-2 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (2013)

We go back to 2013 for the next entry on this list of the top bowling performances of Shahbaz Nadeem in IPL matches, this one coming against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Daredevils batted first and could not get their innings going at all, ending up with a mere 114/8 in their 20 overs. Although this seemed like an easy target, SRH was given a lot of trouble by Nadeem, who first ran out Akshath Reddy before getting rid of Parthiv Patel. Cameron White was added to his kitty as he finished with figures of 2/17 in 4 overs, which made for impressive reading but were unfortunately not enough to prevent SRH from getting home in the final over with 3 wickets to spare.

2. 2-0-13-2 vs Kings XI Punjab (2017)

Playing for the Delhi Daredevils against Kings XI Punjab in 2017, Nadeem produced another economic spell that helped his side post a comprehensive win. Batting first, Delhi scored 188/6 in 20 overs, thanks to a half-century from opener Sam Billings. Kings XI needed to get off to a good start if they were to chase down 189 but were kept in check right from the start by Nadeem and Co. Manan Vohra became Nadeem’s first victim in his first over before Wriddhiman Saha joined him soon after. Nadeem was only called upon to bowl 2 overs, finishing with figures of 2/13 as Kings XI could only manage to score 137/9 in their innings, losing bu 51 runs in the end.

1. 4-0-16-3 vs Deccan Chargers (2012)

We go back to 2012 for the most memorable spell in this list of the top 5 best bowling performances of Shahbaz Nadeem in IPL matches, which came against Deccan Chargers while playing for Delhi Daredevils. The Chargers were batting first and looked to be going along well, with Parthiv Patel and Shikhar Dhawan hitting 40s and striking the ball well. This was when Nadeem struck, dismissing both Dhawan and Patel before coming back to dismiss JP Duminy as well. His figures of 3/16 in 4 overs were instrumental in Delhi keeping Deccan Chargers to 157/8 in their 20 overs. In reply, Delhi was boosted by a superb century from Kevin Pietersen, who scored an unbeaten 103 as they coasted to a 5-wicket win with balls to go.

5 Best Bowling Performances of Shahbaz Nadeem in IPL

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