Highest wicket-takers for each IPL team

The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League is set to be an exciting affair. The T20-format tournament has always been demanding for the bowlers, with the smaller boundaries and the chunkier bats. But match results have always banked upon this underrated aspect of the game and many have turned out to be the silent stars, overshadowed by the more glamorous six-hitting batsmen.

Here's a list depicting the leading wicket-takers for each of the IPL franchises.

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#8 Shane Watson - Rajasthan Royals

He is the most successful all-rounder in the IPL

The former Australian cricketer Shane Watson is one of the most talented all-rounders in the world. He has played franchise cricket all over the planet, including the BBL, CPL, PSL and indeed the IPL.

The 36-year-old won the 'Man of the Tournament' award in RR's maiden title triumph for scoring 472 runs and picking up 17 wickets. Furthermore, he holds a unique record of scoring most runs & picking up most wickets for the same franchise, which as a matter of fact, seems impossible to replicate.

Performance for RR:

Inns - 76

Wkts - 67

Eco - 7.55

BBI - 3/10

#7 Amit Mishra - Delhi Daredevils

He has a 5-wicket haul for Delhi Daredevils

Amit Mishra has a running love story with the IPL, being the most consistent leg-spinner in the history of the tournament & picking a record-making three hat-tricks in his journey and that too for three different franchises.

The 35-year-old by far has the most number of wickets for the team, which is 27 more than the next in line - the South African fast bowler Morne Morkel, who couldn't find a bid this season.

Performance for DD:

Inns - 75

Wkts - 78

Eco - 7.49

BBI - 5/17

#6 R. Vinay Kumar - Royal Challengers Bangalore

The Karnataka skipper is set to play for KKR this season

One of a few bowlers to pick 100 IPL wickets, Vinay Kumar, achieved recognition with the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He played 70 games for them over six seasons & after having an ordinary 2014 season, RCB traded him to Mumbai Indians.

Even after leaving RCB for over three years, the 34-year-old is still at the top of their wickets tally. Vinay is expected to be overtaken by Yuzvendra Chahal in the upcoming season, who is only ten wickets behind the Karnataka fast bowler in the most wickets taken by an RCB bowler.

Performance for RCB:

Inns - 69

Wkts - 80

Eco - 8.31

BBI - 4/40

#5 Piyush Chawla - Kings XI Punjab

He was a part of WC winning Indian squad in 2011

The Aligarh-born leg-spinner is one of the most underrated cricketers to play the IPL. Piyush Chawla was roped-in by Kings XI Punjab in the inaugural edition as a 19-year-old, who played six seasons for them.

Having played the most number of matches for KXIP, his consistency is the reason why he is still the leading wicket-taker for them, even after years of moving out. But the Punjab-based franchise has managed to find another young spinner in Axar Patel, who is likely to outdo the leggie in near future and trails Chawla by only 18 wickets

Performance for KXIP:

Inns - 87

Wkts - 84

Eco - 7.52

BBI - 4/17

#4 Bhuvneshwar Kumar - Sunrisers Hyderabad

Bhuvi won the Purple Cap in two consecutive years for SRH

The medium-pace bowler from Meerut has risen rapidly in his limited overs cricket career. Initially, Bhuvneshwar Kumar's strength was to swing the ball both ways, but the rising demand led him to transform himself.

By adding extra yards of pace and new skills like the knuckle-ball and the yorkers to his arsenal, the 28-year-old went on to become a reliable death overs bowler. Signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014, he became their leading wicket-taker and has over twice as more wickets than the second bowler on the list.

Performance for SRH:

Inns - 59

Wkts - 87

Eco - 7.25

BBI - 5/19

#3 Sunil Narine - Kolkata Knight Riders

Narine was predictably retained again ahead of 2018 auction

The Trinidad-born 'mystery spinner' is the most economical bowler in the history of IPL. Playing his maiden IPL season, Sunil Narine finished the IPL 2012 as 'Player of the Tournament' with 24 wickets at a low-lying economy of 5.47 runs per over, which helped hand Kolkata Knight Riders their maiden title.

His heroics earned him a retention in the 2014 player auctions and he became a fundamental asset for the franchise. His importance is quite evident as the 29-year-old's performance is proportional to KKR's achievement in the tournament.

Performance for KKR:

Inns - 90

Wkts - 113

Eco - 6.22

BBI - 5/19

#2 Ravichandran Ashwin - Chennai Super Kings

Ashwin was bagged-in by Kings XI Punjab as their potential Captain in this year's player auction

The tall off-spinner from Tamil Nadu is a cunning cricketer and one of the most street-smart cricketers in India. Ravichandran Ashwin has been a part of his home-based franchise Chennai Super Kings since the inception of the league until its expulsion in 2016.

He tasted a lot of success with CSK. With his arsenal full of variations like the carrom-ball, arm ball and the loopy delivery, the 31-year-old has been a go-to man for his Captain. In the wickets tally for CSK, Dwayne Bravo is the most likely to take the lead, who is just 27 wickets behind the local boy.

Performance for CSK:

Inns - 118

Wkts - 120

Eco - 6.66

BBI - 4/18

#1 Lasith Malinga - Mumbai Indians

Malinga is signed by MI as bowling mentor after going unsold in the auction

The IPL legend, Lasith Malinga is the leading wicket-taker in the history of the tournament, and with no surprise, tops the Mumbai Indians' wicket-tally list as well. The 34-year-old Sri Lankan joined MI in the inaugural edition but missed the full season due to a knee injury.

The slingy round-arm action with an ability to generate bounce and reverse swing has been key to his team's success on a batting-friendly Wankhede wicket, where MI play majority of its matches. His tally of 179 wickets for the Blues seems impossible to break but to count on someone like Jasprit Bumrah would be judicious.

Performance for MI:

Inns -125

Wkts - 179

Eco - 6.88

BBI - 5/13