BOWLING RANKINGS
Follow UsBatting wins you matches; bowling wins you tournaments.
That’s exactly why some teams have decided to beef up their bowling unit. There’s a reason why the likes of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins forced the teams to break the bank. On the other hand, some plugged the holes quite efficiently with picks for their base price.
Which pace unit ranks higher than others?
It would be quite tough to remember this, but Royal Challengers Bangalore had the best bowling unit in the powerplay last year. A lot of that comes down to Mohammed Siraj’s terrific display in the first six overs. The Siraj-led bowling unit picked up 33 wickets in the powerplay, with the second-best economy in the league (7.8). But the catch is Siraj severely outperformed.
But when it comes to death-overs (16-20), RCB have the second-worst economy rate (11.1), and with the addition of Alzarri Joseph and Lockie Ferguson, the franchise might have added names, but can they solve that problem?
Since the last IPL, Joseph’s ER at the death reads 9.1 (Avg: 25.2), while Ferguson’s reads 7.5 (Avg: 11.5). The biggest question though remains: can they replicate that success at the Chinnaswamy?
Last year, Gujarat had the second-best bowling unit in the powerplay, and a lot of that had to do with Mohammed Shami picking up 17 wickets. Shami is injured, and that, in itself, harms Gujarat gravely. At the death, they also had the most wickets (47), but Mohit Sharma picked up 14 wickets. It might be too brave to trust Mohit again to have such a stellar record at the death.
Chennai, who were third-best last year in this phase, might be a side to watch out for. They have a Deepak Chahar, who is fit and raring to go, and a returning Mukesh Chaudhary, who will add a unique dimension to this bowling unit.
It doesn’t end there; Tushar Deshpande has grown from strength to strength, with 16 wickets, averaging 12.81 at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Add Shardul Thakur to the mix; they will be a big threat. Matheesha Pathirana’s impact at the death was profound; in his absence, can Mustafizur Rahman stand out?
Rajasthan have Trent Boult up at the top with the ball in hand, and that’s always a decisive factor in the powerplay. Last year, Boult was ably supported by Sandeep Sharma, who was excellent at the death, picking up eight wickets. But the biggest worry for them is what about the others? They have picked up Avesh Khan, who has been stellar with the red ball but picked up zero wickets in powerplay last year.
There’s potential, but with an asterisk.
Kolkata have strengthened its setup quite evidently, splurging INR 24.75 crore on Mitchell Starc. Across the last two years (since 2022), Starc averages 30 in the powerplay, weakening their case. But nevertheless, KKR will be much stronger in terms of experience from last year, when they had Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana.
Great, but at the death, KKR could be a mess. 21 wickets, the least for any team last year, and the addition of Starc doesn’t add much value at the death.
Delhi Capitals are a pace-bowling mess. It is a unit of multiple moving parts; either they have to depend on an injury-prone Anrich Nortje or rely on the likes of Khaleel Ahmed and Ishant Sharma across phases. They have proven to be a mess at the death, with the joint second-worst ER (11.1).
Neither do Lucknow, the worst team last year, picking up just 14 wickets. They added Shivam Mavi for this season. Or Punjab for that matter of fact, who have added Chris Woakes to their setup, having conceded runs at 9.2 RPO. Punjab also struggled massively at the death, and that void might still exist if they walk out with the same bowling unit.
One team that struggled last year was Mumbai Indians. While they might have seemingly solved that problem with Dilshan Madushanka’s signing, his injury might put spanners in the works. But that said, they have also signed Luke Wood, who might add firepower to the bowling unit. In Nuwan Thushara, they might just have a solution to being good in the powerplay and the death-overs.
The biggest influencing factor for Mumbai is Jasprit Bumrah’s return.
Sunrisers have added Pat Cummins, but the issue is that he isn’t the best bowler in the powerplay, with an IPL average of 35.9 in that phase. Cummins has also presented SRH with a big problem: they can’t play a powerplay specialist in Marco Jansen.
Putting all the eggs in Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s basket might be too risky. If the powerplay is this confusing, the death might just be their death.
Another year of Kolkata relying on spin
Finger spinners, wrist spinners and mystery spinners?
Kolkata Knight Riders are the best spin unit. It isn’t even up for a question. Left-arm spin? Off-break? Mystery? Leg-spin? Kolkata have 'em all. They continue to be the best spin unit in the competition. 47 wickets last year, picking up a wicket every 20 deliveries. Everything points towards KKR being the best spin bowling unit.
Chennai are a close second. Last IPL, they picked up 43 wickets and had the joint second-best ER (7.7). Ravindra Jadeja’s contribution was immense, with 20 wickets, taking control of the middle-overs. Maheesh Theekshana’s mystery meant he showed his skills in the powerplay and at the death. With the addition of Rachin Ravindra and Moeen Ali, they can play four spinners if they wish to.
Rajasthan are a top-tier spin unit. In Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, they have a dependable spin unit. If you throw Adam Zampa into the mix, you possibly have one of the most decorated spin units in IPL history. They averaged 24.1 last year and could go further if they use Riyan Parag.
Gujarat are another brilliant spin unit, with one of the best spinners in world cricket, Rashid Khan. In the last two years, Rashid has been good at multiple phases, including 18 wickets at the death. Also, Rahul Tewatia and Noor Ahmad are two wrist-spinners who can ably support Rashid. Noor picked up 21 wickets last year, averaging just 23.1.
Delhi Capitals are the only other good spin unit in the competition, with Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav in Delhi, the second-best venue for spinners last year, where the average was just 25.4. Even at the WPL this year, spinners had great success at the venue, so the pattern might follow. Interestingly, Delhi have all the bases covered, like Gujarat, with a left-arm spin, off-spin, left-arm unorthodox and a leg-spinner.
While Lucknow have an impressive spinner in Ravi Bishnoi, they didn’t quite use him well last year, which could well be a pattern this year, too, unless something dramatic happens. Mumbai Indians might have added Mohammed Nabi, but they remain a bowling unit heavily dependent on pace.
Bangalore let go of Wanindu Hasaranga and Shahbaz Ahmed and got just Mayank DAGAR, who picked up one wicket last year. He’s the only specialist spinner in the setup, which tells you a lot. Punjab Kings were the worst spin unit last year, and the fact that they added no one is yet again a big concern.
On the other hand, Hyderabad have been strengthened with Hasaranga and Ahmed. But the biggest concern for them is that they can’t really slot in Hasaranga, which then forces them to stack up with Shahbaz and Mayank Markande as the two spinners.
Bowling depth
Strong sides
Chennai: After acing the batting depth, CSK have also aced the bowling depth, with as many as eight bowling options, including Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell.
Mumbai: Mumbai, too, have a very good bowling depth, with the likes of Tilak Varma and Tim David stepping up with the ball more regularly since the last IPL, having a good bowling depth. If they play Nabi, they could choose between seven bowling options.
Kolkata: Like Mumbai, Kolkata will have a plethora of bowling options to choose from, with Venkatesh Iyer in the setup. If they have someone like Ramandeep Singh, he could be a perfect foil to Andre Russell, with Starc, Narine, Rana and Varun completing the bowling unit.
Lucknow: Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya and Deepak Hooda all provide Lucknow with a plethora of bowling options, which only allows KL Rahul to work around with the choices.
Average teams
Punjab: The issue with Punjab is that they don’t have many bowling options in the top-order, and none of their batters have a lot of bowling prowess. However, they have a minimum of five to six bowling options up their sleeve.
Hyderabad: Seven bowling options, Hyderabad are just above average, but the quality of their bowling options is such that they could just be considered average.
Gujarat: With six bowling options, Gujarat have a few options up their sleeve, but without their superstar Shami. So, they lose a lot of quality right there. Numbers don’t make up for quality, either.
Below par teams
Delhi: Another team that faces the wrath of specialist batters, Delhi will have to use that Impact Player rule wisely to prevent the batters from lining up against the same bowlers. Marsh’s bowling, too, isn’t a guarantee, given his injury record.
Bangalore: Barring Glenn Maxwell, RCB don’t really have a lot of bowling options from their top five, which makes them yet another team that is highly dependent on their five bowlers to do much of the weightlifting.
Conclusion
Overall, quite a few teams have upped their Auction game from last year, adding weight to places they much needed. CSK, with the addition of Shardul, Mitchell and Rachin, have ensured that they keep a balance of eight bowling options at any point in the season, pace or spin.
With the addition of Mitchell Starc, Kolkata are quite close to the Super Kings, but the lack of bowling options puts them slightly behind. Watch out for Mumbai this year with the return of Bumrah to the setup. But the catch with the franchise remains that they don’t have a quality spinner, a segment where they haven’t added a lot.
Hyderabad have picked up Cummins and Hasaranga but still are inclined heavily towards pace. Punjab aren’t too different either, relying too much on their pace unit to heavy-lift the side.
Lucknow, Delhi, Gujarat and Rajasthan are all on similar terms, but they miss one or the other options. Yet, they have one thing in common: spin-reliance. All four teams rely heavily on spin, either because of the conditions or the talent at their disposal.
For example, Delhi and Lucknow are two of the most spin-conducive wickets in the country. Gujarat have Rashid Khan and then, and Rajasthan with perhaps the most experienced spin trio. But their pace bowling might come to hurt them.
And then comes the crowd-favourite, Bangalore. After letting Hasaranga go, the franchise decided not to replace him, with just the addition of Dagar, who picked up ten wickets at the SMAT level but doesn’t have a concrete IPL record. They haven’t quite addressed any of their death-bowling options either, leaving a lot at the Auction table.
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