5 bowlers who bowled the most maidens in the IPL

Amidst all the insanity, a brief moment of silence is always very welcome. In the cauldron when things are flying all over the place, few moments of solitude are appreciated and in the context of Twenty20 cricket and all the madness which goes with it, bowlers who have the ability to press the pause button are hailed as match-winners.

The ability to bowl dots and build maidens is perhaps like gold dust in T20s, and in this particular slider, we take a look at five bowlers in the Indian Premier League to have bowled the maximum maidens and have been an integral part of their respective teams.

#5 Dhawal Kulkarni

A domestic stalwart with Mumbai, Dhawal Kulkarni was always talked about with a lot of panache in Indian cricketing parleys.

However, he has never got going with the Indian team despite being given few sporadic runs.

Having said this, he has been one of the most honest performers in the Indian Premier League with the different franchises he has played for.

In 72 matches, the swing bowler has managed to bowl seven maidens, which is no mean achievement in the IPL.

Along the way, he picked up 75 wickets at an economy rate of 7.97 and with an average of 24.75.

#4 Sandeep Sharma

One of the stars from the batch of 2010 U-19 team, Sandeep Sharma is an out-and-out swing bowler who moves the new ball around and then comes back towards the latter end of the match to nail his yorkers.

In his IPL career for Kings XI Punjab, Sandeep has managed to bowl eight maidens in 56 matches.

He has always believed in pitching the ball right up in order to generate swing and seam and more often than not hoodwink the batsmen. Aggressive bowling to counter stroke play has always been his modus operandi.

Along the way, he picked up 71 wickets at an economy rate of 7.77 and with an average of 22.35.

#3 Lasith Malinga

Perhaps, the bowler who has redefined T20 bowling, the bowler who has emphasized the fact that yorkers can still be the way to not only impede the scoring rate but also to pick up wickets.

With his slingy action and pinpoint accuracy, Lasith Malinga has won plenty of matches for the Mumbai Indians over the years all on his own.

And he is not a one trick pony with just the yorker, he has the ability to flummox the batsmen with a plethora of slower balls, fast bumpers, and skiddy length balls.

In 110 matches in his IPL career, the Sri Lankan maestro has managed to bowl eight maidens.

Along the way, he has picked up 154 wickets at an economy rate of 6.87 and with an average of 19.01.

#2 Irfan Pathan

Perhaps, the sorriest story in Indian cricket, Irfan Pathan’s slide into ignominy has been well documented.

From being one of the most promising prospects in the country to not being part of any IPL side this year, Pathan as a cricketer will be missed in the league.

However, in the 103 matches, the left-armer has managed to bowl 10 maidens.

Along the way, he has picked up 80 wickets at an economy rate of 7.78 and with an average of 33.11.

This year has been an extended scourge for Pathan, as he was not only stripped off captaincy but was also dropped from Baroda’s squad.

He has now moved to Jammu and Kashmir as a player-mentor and one hopes, he manages to do justice to his talent.

#1 Praveen Kumar

Another swing bowler, another bowler who pitches the ball right up to generate movement, Praveen Kumar has been quite successful with the white nut in his IPL career so far.

Although he has gone unsold in this year’s auctions, Praveen has managed to bowl 14 maidens in 119 matches.

Along the way, he has picked up 90 wickets at an economy rate of 7.73 and with an average of 36.12.

Yes, he has had temper issues, but on the field, he has shown immaculate control and street smartness to not only curtail the run flow but also to pick up wickets.