5 bowlers with most maidens in IPL

There was a balance between bat and ball in cricket's early days when only the longer form of the game was prominent but as the game evolved the shorter formats were introduced. With the introduction of shorter formats, especially T20 cricket, there was a drastic shift in that balance. Eventually, modern-day cricket has become a batsman's game.

With the advent of T20 cricket, the mindset of the batsmen has changed completely. Modern-day batsmen are fearless - they innovate and take risks more often than not. Even the field restrictions employed in the powerplay overs are a setback for the bowlers as only a maximum of two fielders are allowed outside the circle during the first six overs of the innings and that allows the batsmen to score freely.

The batsmen just have to pierce the gap between the fielders in the 30-yard circle or just have to hit the ball over the fielder's head and he'll have a boundary. To make the game more watchable and interesting, flat wickets are served which further adds to the dominance of batsmen.

On such road-like tracks, sometimes defending a total of even 200+ runs becomes difficult for the bowling team. Such is the dominance of batsmen over bowlers in modern-day cricket.

In such conditions, every dot ball is gold. If a bowler ends up giving six or less than six an over, it is considered an excellent effort. On top of that, a maiden over is a rarity. There were many quality bowlers who excelled in such difficult situations and ended up gaining the upper hand in the batsman-friendly game on several occasions.

Let us have a look at the top 5 bowlers with most maidens in the world's mega T20 league.

#5 Dhawal Kulkarni: 7 Maidens

Mumbai's Dhawal Kulkarni has been a regular in the Indian Premier League since its inception in 2008 and has represented several franchises including Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Gujarat Lions. This season, the medium pacer will represent RCB for the eleventh edition of the IPL.

Kulkarni depends more on swing and shape of the ball to trouble the batsman and is known for his consistent line and length. He picked up 72 wickets in the 75 matches he has played so far in the IPL, and bowled 7 maidens thus far, and stands fifth in the list of bowlers with most maidens.

#4 Sandeep Sharma: 8 Maidens

Punjab-born youngster Sandeep Sharma is one of the most exciting young talents to watch out for. With some consistent performances over the years, he has emerged as a spearhead of the KXIP's bowling unit before being roped in by SRH for the 11th edition of the IPL.

His control over swing and the rare skill to swing the ball both ways make him an effective bowler. His ability to bowl dot balls and maidens even in the powerplay overs makes him a highly valuable asset to have for any captain.

Sharma has played 56 matches till-date which is considerably less by anyone who has featured this list and bowled 8 maidens, it is not at all a surprise for those who watched him close quarters. He also mustered 71 wickets with 4/20 against Delhi Daredevils being his best.

#3 Lasith Malinga: 8 Maidens

The Sri Lankan speedster Lasith Malinga, is the leading wicket-taker of all time in the Indian Premier League with 154 wickets in 110 matches. The fast bowler is known for unorthodox bowling action.

His accurate line and length and his toe-crushing yorkers make him the most lethal bowler to face and score runs against. The Sri Lankan legend has also bowled 8 maidens equalling Sandeep Sharma to stand 3rd on this list.

He was a part of Mumbai Indians all through his IPL career before being unsold in the auctions of 2018. But the speedster was hired by Mumbai Indians as its mentor for the eleventh season to continue their long-lasting bonding.

#2 Irfan Pathan: 10 Maidens

Out of all the sad endings that we hear in cricket, Irfan Pathan's name has to be right on top of the list. Once lauded as the swing sultan and the next big thing in Indian cricket when he made his debut in 2003, he cannot even find a place in his respective Ranji team.

But Pathan had some fairly good numbers in IPL. He stands second in the list of the bowlers with most maidens (10) in IPL, which supports and emphasizes the previous statement. Pathan represented several franchises, including KXIP, DD, SRH, CSK, RPS, and GL over the years, but was unsold in IPL 11 auctions.

The Baroda Bomber played 103 matches and picked up 80 wickets and returned with best figures of 3/24 against DD.

#1 Praveen Kumar: 14 Maidens

There are some bowlers who swing the ball in, and there are some who swing the ball out, but there are very few who swing the ball both ways and Praveen Kumar is one among such rare bowlers.

His impeccable control over swing added to his consistent line and length Praveen is one of the successful bowlers in the IPL. Kumar tops the list of most maidens (14) as well as most dot balls (1075) bowled in the history of IPL.

Praveen represented RCB, SRH, MI, and GL in the IPL. He has played 119 matches and scalped 90 wickets 3/18 against RR being his best.