From the archives: Highest wicket-taker for each team in IPL 2008

It all started in 2007 when BCCI thought of coming up with a T20 league that would encourage the budding talents in the country and that’s how IPL got underway in 2008. All the fans and the players were excited to be a part of this unique concept and the response was quite huge. Close to 3.5 million people watched the tournament in different stadiums across India.

In the auctions, while Mumbai Indians was the most expensive team (US$ 111.9 million), MS Dhoni secured the highest bid of 1.5 million USD. The tournament had a double round robin stage wherein a particular team plays twice against another team (one home, one away) and the top 4 in the points table qualify for the knock-outs.

Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals made it to the finals where Rajasthan secured a last-ball victory to go on to win the inaugural IPL. Shaun Marsh of Kings XI Punjab won the Orange Cup for being the leading run-scorer whereas Sohail Tanvir secured the Purple Cap for 22 scalps in the season.

Let us take a look at highest wicket takers from each team in 2008 season.

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1. Chennai Super Kings – Manpreet Gony

Manpreet Gony

A forgotten talent who played a vital role in CSK finishing as the runner-up in the inaugural season. He was quick, accurate and was keen to hit the deck hard which provided him with lots of success that season. In 16 matches, he picked up 17 wickets at a decent economy of 7.38.

His best performance came against the Royal Challengers Bangalore when he picked up three wickets for 34 runs. Even though the numbers could have been better, his economy was the one that stood out. In the semis against KXIP, he bowled 4 overs for just 14 runs picking up 2 important wickets.

Not only was he good with the ball but he was vital in scoring some quick runs for his team. One such instance is when he scored 13 runs off 5 balls to take CSK home on the final delivery. He also got a call to the national squad because of his impressive stint in the IPL.

2. Deccan Chargers – RP Singh

RP Singh

After playing an important role in winning the World T20 for India, RP Singh was taken in by the Deccan Chargers in the inaugural season of IPL. Known for the ball that nips back into the right-hander, he had his share of success in the first season taking 15 wickets in 14 matches at a strike rate of 20.53. Even when the results weren’t going on their side, his contribution to the team was unmatched.

In the match against CSK, RP bowled extremely well picking up two wickets for 12 runs and restricting them to 144. The team chased this down in 18 overs and were hoping for a recovery in the remaining matches after losing five out of six matches initially. His economy was a bit of concern for the captain but he gave some vital breakthroughs to his team. His best figures came against MI at the home ground when he got three wickets for 35 runs.

3. Delhi Daredevils – Yo Mahesh

V Yo Mahesh

Yo Mahesh is a player from Tamil Nadu who represented the country in the U-19 World Cup. Due to his impressive performances at the U-19 level, he got a place in the Delhi Daredevils. None would have expected him to top the wicket-takers chart for DD at the start but he achieved the feat piling up 16 wickets in eleven matches at an impressive strike rate of 15.81.

He picked up the dream wicket of Sachin Tendulkar who tried to flick him to square leg, missed the shot and was cleaned up by the young lad. He went on to take 4 wickets in that match and Delhi eventually won by 5 wickets. In the semifinal against Rajasthan, he went for 50 runs and took 2 wickets but the damage was already done. He failed to make the most of the skill set he possessed and was dropped from the team in the later years.

4. Kings XI Punjab – S Sreesanth

S Sreesanth

A man of over-aggression and fearless character, Sreesanth was the second highest wicket-taker in the inaugural edition of the IPL. In spite of all the controversies he was a part of, he was able to deliver the goods whenever he was asked for. What amazed everyone was his strike rate of 16.15 in 15 matches.

He had a big role in Punjab reaching the last 4. Against RCB in Bengaluru, he was awarded the ‘Man of the Match’ for his bowling performance of 2 for 16 in four overs. His love affair with RCB continued when he picked up 3 for 29 at Mohali.

He was known for his out-swingers and the slow leg cutters thereby bringing a lot of variety to the table. Even though he leaked a lot of runs due to inconsistency in his line and length, he was good at bagging quick wickets for the team.

5. Kolkata Knight Riders – Umar Gul

Umar Gul

Having the reputation of being one of the most successful bowlers in T20 cricket, Umar Gul lived up to the expectations of his team in his short IPL career. Having bought for 150,000 USD at the auctions by the Kolkata Knight Riders, Gul played in just 6 matches that season. Despite not being available for half the season, he faired well and ended up being the highest wicket-taker for KKR in 2008.

He took 12 wickets at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 11.25 and an economy of 8.17. He was also the ‘Player of the match’ against KXIP thanks to his wonderful spell of 4 for 23 and a quickfire 24 off 11 balls that drove KKR across the line. Had fitness issues not troubled him, he would have been a threat to the opposition camp.

Nonetheless, Umar Gul made the most of whatever opportunities he got.

6. Mumbai Indians – Shaun Pollock

Shaun Pollock

You cannot ask anything more from this South African great. Everyone knows his ability as a bowler as well as a lower order batsman who could hit a few hefty blows whenever the situation demanded. He was bought by Mumbai Indians in the auction for 550,000 USD. Having represented the team in 13 outings, the South African quickie took 11 wickets at an impressive economy of 6.54 along with scoring some handy runs for the team at a strike rate of over 130.

In a match against KKR in Mumbai, he had his best figures of 4 for 12 picking up the important wickets of Salman Butt, David Hussey and Mohammad Hafeez with the side falling cheaply for 67. He was given the responsibility of leading the squad when Sachin pulled out due to an injury which he managed to do pretty well. In spite of doing well in the first season, he retired from IPL and was appointed as the mentor of the Mumbai squad.

7. Rajasthan Royals – Sohail Tanvir

Sohail Tanvir

The ‘Purple Cap’ winner of 2008 IPL season for the most wickets, Sohail Tanvir was one of the most valuable players of that season. He was bought by the Rajasthan Royals in the second round of auction for 100,000 USD. In only his third match, he ran through the CSK line-up taking six wickets and giving away just 14 runs from four overs which was a record at that time in T20 cricket.

He finished the season with 22 wickets from 11 matches at an economy of 6.46 and a mind-boggling strike rate of 11.20. He also contributed with the bat, scoring the winning runs off the final ball in the IPL finals.

Many experts claimed that Sohail was the best performer of the season. His unorthodox action and the variation in his bowling created chaos in the minds of the batsmen which was the key to his success in the shortest format.

8. Royal Challengers Bangalore – Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan

RCB had a forgetful inaugural IPL season after finishing seventh with just four wins from 14 matches but there were some fine contributions with the bat and the ball. One such contribution was from India’s leading pacer Zaheer Khan who ended up as the highest wicket-taker for RCB that season.

In the 11 matches that he played in that season, he picked up 13 wickets at a strike rate of 19.38. His three-wicket haul against CSK at Bangalore was impressive, but RCB went on to lose that match. In another match against Mumbai, his spell of 2 for 17 was one of the key performances for the victory.

Zaheer as always was very good with the new as well as with the old ball. His ability to use the old ball to generate the reverse swing in the second spell was second to none. He moved to the Mumbai Indians the following season.