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T20 cricket is considered to be a batsman’s game with all those sixes, innovative shots and small boundaries but some exceptional bowlers have shown that the game is not only about sixes and fours.
Good bowlers have troubled a lot of batsmen even in the shortest format of the game. The 2011 edition of the IPL saw some brilliant bowling efforts. There were fifers and hat tricks, a lot of wicket-maidens and many low-totals were defended. All these resulted in the bowlers having a really good IPL season.
Every team had one or two bowlers who stood up and bowled crucial spells for their teams. The list of top wicket-takers for each team has been a combination of both the spinners and the fast bowlers. Let us have a look at the highest wicket-takers for each IPL franchise and how they performed in the 2011 season.
#1 Irfan Pathan (Delhi Daredevils)- (11 wickets)
Delhi Daredevils (Now: Delhi Capitals) had a poor season in 2011 as they failed to make it to the playoffs and finished at the bottom of the points table. The primary reason was the failure of the bowlers.
The highest wicket-taker of the tournament for the franchise was Irfan Pathan but he was ranked 23rd in the list of top bowlers of the tournament.
The 2007 WT20 final hero was not able to mirror his past performances but still managed to pick up wickets with his swing bowling.
He featured in all the matches his team played but picked up just 11 wickets at an average of 31.
His strike rate was also quite high at 25 balls per wicket. He had an economy of 7.50 r.p.o in the 2011 season. Although he stood out as the leading wicket-taker of the team, it was a poor season for Irfan Pathan.
#2 RP Singh (Kochi Tuskers Kerala) - (13 wickets)
RP Singh is another 2007 WT20 Indian hero to feature in the list. The Kerala franchise roped in the left arm pace bowler for a sum of 2.3 Crores. His value went down as he was not a part of the 2011 World cup team.
Although he was not in his prime, he played his heart out for the Kochi Tuskers. By dismissing Shikhar Dhawan, he took his wickets tally to 56 and thus became the highest wicket-taker in IPL history.
He bowled 50 overs in the tournament and picked up 13 wickets. Although he was the highest wicket taker of the team, this was an average performance from him. Most of his efforts went in vain as he did not have bowlers to support him from the other end. He was the most successful bowler in IPL until 2013.
#3 Shane Warne (Rajasthan Royals) - (13 wickets)
The captain of the Rajasthan Royals not only led the team as a captain but also as the lead spinner of the team, for the fourth straight year.
Warne went on to pick 13 wickets from 12 matches. His top performance came against the Kochi Tuskers Kerala where he put in a match-winning performance of 4-0-16-3.
He won the Player of the match award for his brilliant work. Apart from this match, he did not have any stand out performances to brag about.
His economy was just a little over 6 runs an over during the course of the season. This ensured that he always held one end tight and put pressure on the opposition batsmen.
The legendary spinner called off his IPL career at the end of the season. He ended his IPL career after playing 54 games for Rajasthan, picking up 56 wickets at an average of 24.66.
#4 Ryan Harris (Kings XI Punjab)- (16 wickets)
The New South Wales-born bowler had a great time during the 2011 edition. His bowling efforts provided Punjab a late flourish in the season as they won four consecutive matches. But it was too late as they had to settle for the fifth position in the table.
The 2011 IPL was the only time Ryan Harris featured in more than nine matches in a single season. He picked up 16 wickets at a strike rate of 17.62. His best bowling performance came against RCB when he picked up three wickets for 28 runs.
His bowling average was 23.4 in the tournament. His performances for the Punjab franchise had a huge impact in his international career as he returned to the Australian set up for the home series against India in 2011. Harris did a decent job for his team as the hosts completed a clean sweep.
#5 Iqbal Abdulla (Kolkata Knight Riders)- (16 wickets)
The Mumbai born left-arm orthodox spinner was excellent for KKR during the 2011 season. Abdulla came on to bowl many difficult overs for his team and impressed the captain and coach with his bowling efforts. His disciplined bowling had a big role in KKR's wins during the 2011 season.
He won two Man of the Match awards for his brilliant bowling performances; one against Kings XI Punjab where he bowled four overs and took two wickets and gave away just 19 runs.
The next one came against the Chennai Super Kings where he conceded just 15 runs and picked up a wicket.
He was adjudged as the emerging player of the 2011 IPL and won the ‘Rising Star’ award for picking 16 wickets from 15 games and for showing some skills with the bat as well. His good performances earned him a place in the India A side.
#6 Rahul Sharma (Pune Warriors India)- (16 wickets)
Rahul Sharma, a conventional leg break bowler also makes the list. He came into the limelight with his exceptional spin bowling for the Pune Warriors India.
He had many good spells for PWI but his notable performance came in a match against the Mumbai Indians where he had bowling figures of 4-0-7-2. It was the most economical bowling figures during the 2011 season.
Throughout the season he maintained an economy of 5.46 and averaged 17.06, picking up wickets at an imposing strike rate of 18.75.
Sharma went on to pick 16 wickets from 14 matches. Like many other spin bowlers, Sharma started his career as a fast bowler but later switched to spin on the advice of his coach.
His extraordinary performances for his IPL franchise earned him a place in the national side. He was called up for the home series against the West Indies.
#7 Amit Mishra (Deccan Chargers)- (19 wickets)
Amit Mishra has been a reliable bowler for all the franchises he has been a part of. He played 14 matches for the Deccan Chargers and took 19 wickets at a strike rate of 16.84.
He picked up a hat-trick in the 2011 season against Kings XI Punjab which was his second hat-trick in IPL. He was the only bowler to pick up a hat-trick in the 2011 season.
Most critics ridiculed him for his obsolete leg spinning techniques but he proved his critics wrong with his brilliant bowling spells.
He finished as the fifth highest wicket-taker in the fourth season of the IPL. He was extremely economical giving away just a little over 6.5 runs an over. Presently, he embraces the record of picking the maximum number of hat-tricks in the history of the IPL.
#8 Ravichandran Ashwin (Chennai Super Kings)- (20 wickets)
The right arm off-spinner was picked up by the Chennai Super Kings in the inaugural season and by the fourth season, he became the most dependable bowler for Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The year 2011 saw huge growth in the career of Ravichandran Ashwin. He was clearly the best spinner of the season in all aspects as he took 20 wickets from 16 matches at an excellent economy of around 6 runs per over.
He stands on par with Malinga (MI) for bowling the most number of overs in the fourth season of the IPL.
His strike rate during the season was 18.90. Ashwin did not have any Man of the Match awards to show for his efforts but he gave good support to the bowlers from the other end.
His achievements are of great value to the team as he came on to bowl in the powerplay unlike other spinners present on the list.
#9 Sreenath Aravind (RCB)- (21 wickets)
The Bangalore born bowler made his presence felt in the Royal Challengers Bangalore team during the 2011 edition of the IPL.
Despite his consistent performances in the domestic circuit, he was initially considered only as a trivial player in the team. He played a total of 13 matches for his team and bagged 21 wickets. He stood third in the list of leading wicket-takers of the season.
Although his economy stood high at 8 runs an over, he gave his team crucial breakthroughs at a strike rate of 13.14.
An interesting fact about him is his ability to bowl with pace and control the slower balls as well.
He was preferred as a seam bowling option by the franchise. Apart from the heroics of Chris Gayle, the bowling of Sreenath Aravind guaranteed a place in the finals as RCB ended as the Runners-up of the tournament.
#10 Lasith Malinga (Mumbai Indians)- (28 wickets)
The veteran Sri Lankan pacer would easily make into the top 10 buys in the history of IPL. He was brought in by the Mumbai Indians for a sum of 3,50,000 INR before the inaugural IPL.
He was clearly the best bowler of the team during the 2011 edition and picked up 28 wickets in the 16 matches he played during the season.
He picked up the first five-wicket haul of the season against the Delhi Daredevils (Delhi Capitals now). His bowling figures read 3.4-1-13-5.
Malinga is referred to as the ‘Yorker King’, but he showed ample variations in his bowling with slow off cutters and sharp bouncers.
The noteworthy point about his performance is that he picked up all these wickets with an economy rate below 6 runs an over.
He was also the purple cap holder of the season. His bowling played a pivotal role in taking Mumbai Indians to the third position on the table.
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