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The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is all set to begin on August 18 in Trinidad and Tobago, as it becomes the first major T20 league to resume post the coronavirus outbreak. This will be the 8th edition of the tournament, and all of them so far have been rich in entertainment and high-quality cricketing action.
The West Indies internationals, many of whom are dedicated T20 freelancers have graced their local league and have been the major attraction in the CPL over the years. Even overseas bowlers have plied their trade for multiple teams in the Caribbean T20 extravaganza. Although the CPL has been dominated by some big hitters, a few bowlers have been able to carve a niche for themselves.
In this article, let us look at the top 5 wicket-takers in the history of the Caribbean Premier League, which includes some prominent as well as some astonishing names.
5. Sheldon Cottrell (69 wickets)
It comes as no surprise that left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell is the 5th highest wicket-taker in CPL history. With 69 wickets in 50 matches so far, the speedster has been impressive in the T20 league. His economy rate of 7.37 is impressive while also averaging 19.33.
Cottrell, who made his debut in international cricket back in 2013, has plied his trade for a few franchises in the tournament, although he is yet to lift the trophy. In the first couple of seasons, he was a part of the now-defunct Antigua Hawksbills before moving on to St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. Cottrell will be a part of the same franchise in the upcoming season of the CPL.
In CPL 2019, Cottrell picked 12 wickets conceding 7.83 runs per over and was among the Top 10 wicket-takers in the season.
4. Sunil Narine (72 wickets)
At No 4 in the list is mystery spinner Sunil Narine, who plays for the Trinbago Knight Riders. The Kolkata Knight Riders spinner has scalped 72 wickets in 71 matches in 7 seasons of the tournament so far. He was part of the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the first 3 seasons and was instrumental in the runners-up finish of the franchise in the 2013 and 2014 seasons of the CPL.
Narine later moved on to his local team’s franchise, the Trinbago Knight Riders before the 2016 season where he was reunited with the owners of Kolkata Knight Riders. He has won 2 consecutive titles with Trinbago Knight Riders in 2016 and 2017.
The Windies spinner has bowled at an economy rate of under 6 in every season of the CPL and his overall economy rate of 5.52 is the best in the 6-team event’s history.
Narine’s best seasons in the CPL were in 2015 and 2016 when he picked 14 wickets each.
3. Rayad Emrit (85 wickets)
Rayad Emrit may well be one of the most underrated players in the West Indies T20 circuit, and his bowling record in the CPL is testament to that with 85 wickets to his name in 75 matches. He has been averaging 23.44 at an economy rate of 7.85 over 7 seasons of the CPL.
Rayad Emrit has been a part of the Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, and the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the past. He will captain the Patriots after they decided to let go of former captain Carlos Brathwaite.
Emrit was a part of the Barbados Tridents side, which won the title in 2014, and the medium-pacer picked up 12 wickets in that edition of the CPL. His best performance came in the 2016 tournament when he picked up 16 wickets while playing for the Guyana Amazon Warriors and the side reached the final that year.
2. Krishmar Santokie (85 wickets)
Krishmar Santokie has the second most wickets in CPL history with 85 scalps in 58 games. The left-arm pacer has an economy rate of 7.59 and an average of just under 20 in his glorious CPL career.
Santokie has played for numerous franchises in the tournament’s history but won't be a part of this year’s edition in Trinidad and Tobago as he found no takers in the draft. The pacer has represented Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, and St Lucia Zouks in the past.
The speedster has never won the tournament but has reached the final when he was part of the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the first two editions. CPL 2014 was Santokie’s best performance in the league, picking up 17 wickets in 11 matches for his team.
Last year, he played only three matches while picking up five wickets for the St Lucia Zouks.
1. Dwayne Bravo (97 wickets)
At the 'numero uno' spot on this list is Dwayne Bravo who has picked up 97 wickets in just 69 matches while bowling at an economy rate of 8.72. Over the past seven seasons, Bravo has only represented the franchise of his local team, Trinidad and Tobago - Whether it is as Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel or the Trinbago Knight Riders.
The pacer played an instrumental part in the three title-winning campaigns for the franchise. He had picked 20+ wickets in 2 seasons for the team, including scalping 28 wickets in the 2015 season when they won their first title.
Along with his bowling credentials, Bravo has captained the team to three titles but stepped down this season and will be the deputy to his teammate Kieron Pollard this season. Bravo missed CPL 2019 due to injury.
