IPL 2020: One best death bowler from each team

CricWiz
One of the best in the business - Jasprit Bumrah
One of the best in the business - Jasprit Bumrah

T20 cricket was expected to be a bowler's graveyard when it first came to fore. However, with time the bowlers have successfully evolved. While bowling at any stage of the game is a difficult task in T20 cricket, bowling at the death is an art that not many have been able to master.

The batsmen throw their bats at everything in the death overs in a bid to score quick runs. And thus it becomes difficult for the bowlers to contain the batsmen at this stage of the game. This has made teams focus on this particular area and get in specialist 'death bowlers' to do the job. These bowlers have been able to add more variations like knuckle ball and wide yorkers to their repertoire which has made the contest between the bowler and batsman more even.

Today we will look at the best death bowler from each team in IPL 2020.

#8 Rajasthan Royals - Jofra Archer

Jofra Archer
Jofra Archer

The dismal show put up by the bowlers was a major reason for Rajasthan Royals' poor season last year. Their death bowling in particular was a huge concern. However, one bowler who did well in that department was Jofra Archer. Archer has the pace to trouble the batsman in the death overs and he has used it to his advantage. Yorkers and short balls are his main weapons and because of his extra pace the batsmen haven't been able to score quick runs off his bowling.

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#7 Kings XI Punjab - Mohammad Shami

Mohammad Shami
Mohammad Shami

For a very long time Mohammad Shami wasn't regarded highly in T20 cricket. It was mostly because of his wayward bowling and high economy rates. However, in the last couple of years Shami has been able to transform his T20 game. He was Kings XI Punjab's most successful bowler in IPL 2019 with 19 wickets in 14 games. Shami has also made a successful comeback to the national T20 side and has been quite effective in the death overs. While he can go for some runs at times, he is a wicket-taking option and is likely to be KXIP's designated death bowler in IPL 2020.

#6 Sunrisers Hyderabad - Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Not long ago Bhuvneshwar Kumar, along with Jasprit Bumrah, was India's best death bowling option. Unfortunately, Bhuvi has been out of the game for quite some time due to his injuries. Also his performance in the past couple of years in the IPL hasn't been upto his high standards. Having said that, the experienced pacer cannot be written off completely. Bhuvi has got an array of variations up his sleeve and has been extremely effective in the death overs. His pace variations and slower ones are difficult for the batsmen to pick and thus, he will be SRH's preferred choice at the death.

#5 Kolkata Knight Riders - Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins 
Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins made headlines by becoming the most expensive player at the IPL auctions. The Australian speedster has been in good form in all forms of cricket off late and will be hoping to carry on that form in the IPL too. Kolkata Knight Riders will be hoping the same as their bowling looked completely out of sorts last season. KKR does not have too many options for bowling at the death and thus in all likelihood, Cummins will be given this responsibility.

#4 Delhi Capitals - Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada 
Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada's impeccable super over against KKR's Andre Russell was one of the most memorable moments of IPL 2019. Rabada was in tremendous form last season both with the new ball as well as in the death. He was second in the list of leading wicket-takers with 25 wickets. The Proteas pacer relies on his pace to outwit the batsmen. His swirling yorkers are difficult to get away which makes him one of the best death bowlers in the world.

#3 Royal Challengers Bangalore - Chris Morris

Chris Morris 
Chris Morris

After yet another disappointing season last year, Royal Challengers Bangalore made huge changes in their squad bringing in some big names in the team. One of the big-ticket players that they brought in was Chris Morris. Morris has been around in the IPL for quite some time having played for 3 different franchises. While he has been guilty of being expensive with the ball on a few occasions, Morris has improved his death bowling skills to an extent. Currently playing for Sydney Thunders at the BBL, Morris has done exceptionally well at the death. And thus, it won't be a surprise if he plays a similar kind of role for RCB.

#2 Chennai Super Kings - Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo 
Dwayne Bravo

Chennai Super Kings will have plenty of options at the death at this year's IPL. Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur have made their mark at the international level in the last year and have been quite impressive bowling at the death. However, MS Dhoni is likely to persist with the old fox Dwayne Bravo. The West Indies all-rounder has years of experience behind him and has done exceptionally well for CSK in the past. He was also recalled to the West Indies T20 side only because of his renowned death bowling skills.

#1 Mumbai Indians - Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah and death bowling have been synonymous in world cricket. Bumrah has been simply unplayable in the death overs with all his variations. The 26-year-old has been Rohit Sharma's go-to bowler at the death over the years and he has delivered most of the times. Bumrah has also been one of the biggest reasons for Mumbai Indians dominance in the IPL. Despite playing most of his matches at Wankhede, which is considered to be a batsman's paradise and being used at the death, Bumrah has been able to bowl with a career economy of 7.55 in the IPL.

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