the guys who turn matches with a single ball 🎯
When batters dominate headlines, the bowlers win you titles. And in IPL history, a few legends stand tall.
Here’s the ultimate list of the Top 5 IPL bowlers of all time, based on impact, longevity, clutch moments, and pure skill. 👇
🔝 Top 5 Bowlers in IPL History
🥇 Lasith Malinga (MI) – The Yorker King 👑
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170 wickets in 122 matches
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Best strike bowler in IPL's early years
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Invented that toe-crushing death over dominance
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Match-winner in IPL 2019 Final – defended 8 in the last over 😮
🎯 Pace, precision, pressure master. Every batter feared him.
📊 Avg: 19.8 | Econ: 7.14 | SR: 16.6
🥈 Dwayne Bravo (CSK) – The Death Overs Artist 🎭
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183 wickets (was all-time leader until recently)
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Bowled smart slower balls, cutters, and yorkers with swag
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Two-time Purple Cap winner (2013 & 2015)
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A true entertainer and match-winner
💬 “DJ Bravo = Wickets when it matters.”
📊 Avg: 23.8 | Econ: 8.38 | SR: 16.1
🥉 Yuzvendra Chahal (RCB/RR) – The Spin Assassin 🌀
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Most wickets in IPL history (190+ and still going)
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Wrecks top orders with guile, flight, and guts
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One of the few wrist-spinners to dominate across formats and venues
🧠 “Outfoxed by Chahal” is a real thing in the IPL dictionary.
📊 Avg: 21.7 | Econ: 7.7 | SR: 17.1
🏅 Jasprit Bumrah (MI) – The Modern Maestro 🧊
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Ice-cold under pressure
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Unhittable in the death overs
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Wickets + dot balls = gold standard impact
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Has changed how teams bowl at the death
💣 When Bumrah’s bowling, 18 off 6 feels impossible.
📊 Avg: ~23 | Econ: ~7.4 | SR: ~18
(Even better in playoffs!)
🔥 Sunil Narine (KKR) – The Economy Master + Mystery Man 🎭
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Early years? Unplayable.
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Even now, he still concedes ~6 runs per over 😳
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160+ wickets and endless chokehold spells
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Bonus: Handy powerplay opener with the bat
🧩 “You don’t attack Narine. You survive him.”
📊 Avg: 25.5 | Econ: 6.6 | SR: 23
🔁 Honorable Mentions
| Bowler |
Why They're Close |
| Rashid Khan |
Insanely good economy + strike rate. Still rising. |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar |
2× Purple Cap, deadly swing in powerplay. |
| Harbhajan Singh |
OG IPL performer, especially for MI. |
| Amit Mishra |
Top-5 all-time wickets. Quietly brilliant. |
| Mohammed Shami |
Peak Shami has become lethal in the last few years. |
🧠 TL;DR – Top 5 Bowlers All-Time
| Rank |
Player |
Team(s) |
X-Factor |
| 🥇 |
Lasith Malinga |
MI |
Death-over GOAT |
| 🥈 |
Dwayne Bravo |
CSK/MI/GL |
Slower ball wizard |
| 🥉 |
Yuzvendra Chahal |
RCB/RR |
Top wicket-taker |
| 4️⃣ |
Jasprit Bumrah |
MI |
Ice-cold clutch bowler |
| 5️⃣ |
Sunil Narine |
KKR |
Economy + mystery |
Wanna do an all-time best IPL bowling attack XI? Spin + pace + mystery? Let’s build it! 🔥