IPL 2016: 5 best death-over bowlers in the tournament

Bowling at the death of a limited overs match is arguably the toughest act to master. Bowlers are under pressure and the batsmen are on the rampage, in such a scenario to execute the plans with minimum damage is often a very difficult phase, and many games are won or lost in these 5-6 overs at the end.

In T20s, this phase is confined to the last 4-5 overs, and matches are either dominated or teams stagnate in this phase. There are designated bowlers who are best suited in this phase and they have to perform when all the odds are stacked against them. The importance of a specialist death bowler should not be undermined.

In the ongoing IPL, almost all the teams have a bowler, or a couple of bowlers who have donned the hat of a death bowler and have carried out the duties with some aplomb.

We take a look at 5 such bowlers from the ongoing IPL that have stood out during the death overs.

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar

The right arm swing bowler has found his swing with the new ball and has jagged the ball around during the opening spells. He is bowling a much fuller length that is allowing the ball to hoop around and also seam after pitching.

However, the biggest positive that has come out this season is the impeccable death bowling. Bhuvi has got in his yorkers with remarkable precision and also varied his pace and length very smartly during the end overs.

He has played a crucial part in containing the rampant batsmen towards the end and this performance augurs well for the Indian team which is forever in the search of a penetrative death overs bowler.

Mustafizur Rahman

The rise and rise of Mustafizur Rahman has been a well-documented story. Ever since his remarkable debut against India, Mustafizur has just gone from strength to strength and has only befuddled all batsmen that he has come up against.

The Fizz, as he is now known has been a treat to watch particularly with his variations and the plethora of cutters that he bowls. He has been a banker for David Warner and the Sunrisers Hyderabad and has been the shining example of raw talent and hard work.

His figures of 4-1-9-2, against Kings XI Punjab was a reminder of his worth and abilities and along with Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, he has been a joy to watch as he runs in and then comes up with a mix-bag of deliveries.

Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo is all fun and frolic outside the cricket ground, but once he steps onto the cricket field, he is a serious cricketer. His batting may have been on the downward slide, but his bowling, particularly at the death, has grown leaps and bounds.

He is arguably the best bowler at the death currently and he has provided examples of his prowess on more than one occasion. He single-handedly changed the complexion of the match against Kings XI Punjab, when he got Glenn Maxwell and David Miller in one over, with his looping and dipping slower yorker. He also has the quick bumper up his sleeve and the combination of these two balls has made him an absolute menace for the opposition players.

He is equally adept at changing the speed of his deliveries without changing his arm speed and this makes it very difficult to pick him. He has been the go to bowler for Suresh Raina, the Gujarat skipper and has seldom disappointed with his performance.

Mitchell McClenaghan

Mitchell McClenaghan played an instrumental role in the title-winning season last year for the Mumbai Indians. He has stepped into the shoes of Lasith Malinga beautifully and is now leading the Mumbai attack, both with the new ball as well as with the older one towards the back end of the innings.

He has taken 13 wickets in 9 matches this season so far and currently wears the purple cap. He has picked up wickets at crucial moments and along with Jasprit Bumrah has formed a potent attack especially at the death overs.

Chris Morris

Many eyebrows were raised when Delhi Daredevils bought Chris Morris for a whopping price of Rs 7 crore. Morris, howerver, has not disappointed and has been a consistent performer for Delhi.

He has been sensational for the Daredevils in the death overs and has bowled yorkers ball after ball. It was down to his bowling effort along with Mohammed Shami, that Daredevils kept a rampaging Royal Challengers Bangalore to well below 200, and then Morris once again delivered when he bowled 2 tight overs for Delhi which was replete with yorkers against the Mumbai Indians and defended a score when Mumbai was seemingly cruising towards the target.

He has been a great signing for Delhi, and if he continues his impressive run of form, Delhi will the team to watch out for this season.