5 great fast bowlers who failed in the IPL

Batter's paradise and bowler's graveyard is the best example that shows antithesis in cricket but has the same meaning moreover. The birth of the IPL ensured cricket fans were never short of any level of entertainment.

From Ravindra Jadeja and Chris Gayle smashing 37 runs in an over to Kartik Tyagi defending four runs in the final over, IPL has covered every moment of thrill for the viewers to dote on.

Bowling in cricket is a challenging job, but when it comes to the T20 format, it becomes a demanding task. The IPL has seen some great bowlers with each year passing by and many jewels are yet to be discovered in the T20 extravaganza.

Former Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Dwayne Bravo is the most successful bowler in the tournament with 183 wickets in 161 matches.

They have had some of the worst expensive bowling spells in the league and some bowlers who couldn't mark their significance in the IPL. We will discuss the best international bowlers in the business who have failed to replicate their magic in the cash-rich league.

#1 Brett Lee

The former Australian speedster had the impression of petrifying batters with his deliveries clocking above 140kph.

Many certainly credit Lee for cutting short Unmukt Chand's career in the IPL by rattling his off-stump on the first ball of IPL 2013. However, the fact remains that Lee played only three games that season, which turned out to be his last hurrah in the IPL. He conceded 86 runs in three games at an economy of 7.16.

Lee played for the Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders across six seasons - three seasons for each team. There were only two instances in his IPL career where the pacer played 10 or more matches in a season.

Seven is the maximum number of wickets he picked in a particular season for KKR in their title-winning campaign in 2012. Overall, Lee picked 25 wickets in 38 IPL games at an economy rate of 7.51 between 2008 and 2013.

#2 Ishant Sharma

Ishant has represented six teams in his intermittent IPL career. He played 16 matches for Delhi Capitals from 2019 to 2021, featuring in just four games in his last two seasons.

In only five seasons, Ishant has played more than 10 matches, which has only happened once since IPL 2014. The lanky pace bowler went twice unsold in the mega auctions of 2018 and 2022.

Ishant has picked 72 wickets in 93 IPL games at an economy rate of 8.12, some contrasting figures for a veteran of 105 Tests and 311 scalps with the red-ball.

#3 Pat Cummins

Cummins has attracted a huge chunk of money during the auction as he became the most expensive player to get sold for INR 15.50 crore to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2020.

Cummins has found it challenging to justify his hefty paycheck through performance. He might have been impressed with the bat, playing some brilliant cameos in the lower middle order for KKR. He holds the joint-fastest fifty in IPL in just 14 balls.

With the ball, the star Australian speedster hasn't made any giant strides. His best season with the ball was in IPL 2017 for Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals), picking 15 wickets at an economy of 8.07.

Cummins played just five matches last season for the two-time IPL winners. He managed only seven wickets at an economy rate of 10.69, his worst IPL season with the ball.

The Australian Test captain, who has claimed 45 wickets in 42 IPL games at 30.16, won't participate in IPL 2023 due to a tight schedule this year.

#4 Tim Southee

Southee has played nine seasons in the IPL for five franchises and has not stayed with any team for longer than two years. However, this streak will break in IPL 2023 as the New Zealand fast bowler will play for KKR for the third season in a row.

With 134 wickets in 107 matches at an economy rate of 8.16, Southee is the leading wicket-taker in T20 Internationals in the world. The right-arm pacer hasn't replicated anything like that in the IPL.

He has claimed 45 scalps in 52 matches at an economy rate of 8.53. Barring IPL 2022, a season where he picked up 14 wickets in nine matches, Southee hasn't reaped any rich rewards with the ball.

#5 Ajit Agarkar

The Indian pace bowler played 42 matches in six seasons of the IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils in two phases. He picked 29 wickets in 42 games at an average of 39.69 and an economy rate of 8.83.

Agarkar has only played more than 10 matches in one season (2009). Eight is the maximum number of wickets the fast bowler taken in a season twice during his first seasons for KKR (2008) and DD (2011) respectively.

Agarkar is India's third-highest wicket-taker in ODIs - 288 at 27.85. He was unfortunate not to have similar success in either T20Is or IPL.