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Over the years, the shortest format of the game has continued to be more inclined towards the batsmen. True to its billing of being a 'batsman-friendly format', T20 cricket has seen the willow-wielders hogging the limelight while the bowlers often fail to get the acclaim they deserve.
The situation is similar when it comes to the world's premier T20 tournament - the IPL. But having said that, there have also been plenty of instances where the bowlers have played their part and guided their respective teams to victory.
With that in mind, we look at the five best bowling figures recorded in IPL history.
5. Ishant Sharma: 3-0-12-5
On 27 April 2011, Deccan Chargers went up against Kochi Tuskers Kerala. It was a clash between two sides who were both labeled as the 'underdogs' despite possessing several match-winners in their ranks.
Mahela Jayawardene of KTK won the toss and elected to bowl first. With the likes of RP Singh and Vinay Kumar in the team, it proved to be a good decision for the home side as they restricted the Chargers to a mere 129.
It was down to the visiting team's bowling department to lead their team to victory and that they did. Ishant Sharma ran through the Kochi side, dismissing the likes of Jayawardene, Brad Hodge, and Kedar Jadhav as he dismantled their batting line-up in front of their supporters.
Sharma finished with astonishing figures of 5/12 in his three overs and had a big hand in his team's 55-run victory.
4. Anil Kumble: 3.1-1-5-5
Royal Challengers Bangalore came into the 2009 edition as strong favorites, with the likes of Dale Steyn, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, and many others on their roster. They reached the final that year and eventually lost to the Adam Gilchrist-led Deccan Chargers.
On their way to the finals, they met the then defending champions Rajasthan Royals and inflicted a 75-run defeat on them. This is the match where the Royals posted the lowest team score in IPL history.
For RCB, Anil Kumble led the way with five wickets, including the scalps of match-winners like Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja.
The dominant bowling performance by the team from Bangalore was an early indication of how far it was going to go in the tournament. Chasing a total of 133, Rajasthan Royals were the favorites to win the match.
However, that was not to be as the Shane Warne-led team crumbled like a house of cards against Kumble, with the former India skipper conceding just five runs in the 3.1 overs that he bowled.
3. Adam Zampa: 4-0-19-6
One of the few star performers for Rising Pune Supergiant, Adam Zampa announced himself to the world during the 2016 edition of the IPL. Bought for INR 30 lakhs, Zampa made only five appearances for the team but picked up 12 wickets. He was one of few bright spots for the now-defunct team in an otherwise lackluster season.
In the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Zampa ran through the Hyderabad side, posting career-best figures of six wickets for 19 runs.
Despite his heroics, team Pune failed to win the contest as they lost to David Warner and co. by four runs, with only George Bailey and MS Dhoni managing to score 30 or more runs for them.
2. Sohail Tanvir: 4-0-14-6
The winner of the Purple Cap in the inaugural season of the IPL, Sohail Tanvir set the tournament on fire with some outstanding performances. He was an integral part of the Rajasthan Royals, who ended up winning the title in 2008.
With the most wickets in the tournament (22), Tanvir's finest outing came in a victory against Chennai Super Kings. The Pakistani fast bowler picked up six wickets while conceding only 14 runs.
Coutesy of the fine performance, team Rajasthan strolled to an easy victory as they chased down the Super Kings' 109 with more than five overs and eight wickets to spare.
1. Alzarri Joseph: 3.4-1-12-6
Replacing the injured Adam Milne, Alzarri Joseph lit up the league in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He picked up six wickets in 3.4 overs while conceding only 12 runs as Mumbai Indians beat SRH by 40 runs.
Coming into the tournament, Joseph was an unknown entity and got drafted into the Mumbai squad as Milne got injured. The West Indian made his IPL debut in this match and what a debut it turned out to be!
Thanks to Joseph, team Mumbai won the contest by a comfortable margin (40 runs), getting rid of their opponents for a total of 96 runs.
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