IPL 2021: 3 spin bowlers with the most maiden overs in tournament's history

When the BCCI initiated the Indian Premier League (IPL), many fans opined that batsmen will dominate the tournament and that the bowlers will have little impact. While there have been quite a few games in the IPL where the batters have decimated the opposition bowling lineup, it is not that the bowlers have been totally ineffective.

By introducing variations in their arsenal, the bowlers have asked tough questions to the batsmen in the IPL over the last 13 years. Although shorter boundaries and flat pitches have worked against them, many bowlers have been able to achieve success in the IPL.

It is a considerable achievement to bowl a maiden over in the T20 format since batsmen generally prefer to keep the scoreboard ticking in this format. It is also more challenging for a spinner to bowl a maiden because in most innings, the spin bowlers bowl after the powerplay phase.

Batsmen have more gaps to take singles and doubles after the first six overs. They also take advantage of the slower pace of the spinners and try to play some big shots. However, not every spinner has been dominated by the batsmen in the history of the IPL.

In this listicle today, we will look at the top three spinners who have bowled the most maiden overs in the league so far.

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#3 Harbhajan Singh - 6 maiden overs in IPL

From CLT20 to IPL titles, from loads of wickets to finishing cameos, the Turbanator has done it all in the MI Blue and Gold 💙Happy birthday, @harbhajan_singh 🎂#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians pic.twitter.com/1VTd6zW0N3

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) July 3, 2021

Harbhajan Singh is one of three spinners to have bowled six maiden overs in IPL history. The Turbanator has been a part of the competition since the inaugural season. He played ten seasons for the Mumbai Indians before switching to the Chennai Super Kings in 2018.

Right now, Harbhajan is part of the Kolkata Knight Riders team. The right-arm off-spinner has proven to be a little expensive with the ball for KKR. But when he was a member of the MI squad, he bowled five maidens in 136 games. Singh bowled one maiden over while donning the CSK jersey in 24 IPL matches as well.

The other two bowlers on this list have also bowled six maidens each, but Harbhajan (569.2 overs) has bowled the most overs among them.

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#2 Ravichandran Ashwin - 6 maiden overs in IPL

Ravichandran Ashwin came into the limelight after performing well for the Chennai Super Kings in the initial IPL seasons. Ashwin played 97 games for CSK, scalping 90 wickets at an economy rate of 6.46.

The off-spinner bowled four maiden overs while representing his home franchise in the IPL from 2008 to 2015. Ashwin could not bowl a maiden over while playing for Punjab Kings or Rising Pune Supergiant. But in his ongoing stint with the Delhi Capitals, Ashwin has bowled two maiden overs for his franchise.

Ashwin is ahead of Harbhajan Singh on this list because he has bowled fewer overs (557.2 overs) than him.

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#1 Amit Mishra - 6 maiden overs in IPL

Amit Mishra has bowled three maidens for Delhi Capitals, two for Deccan Chargers and one for Sunrisers Hyderabad

The highest wicket-taker among spin bowlers in IPL history, Amit Mishra, is also the spinner with the most maidens. Like Harbhajan Singh and Ravichandran Ashwin, Mishra has bowled six overs where the opposition batsmen could not score a single run.

However, the Delhi Capitals star has accomplished this feat by bowling 540.5 overs in the league. He has bowled the least deliveries among all the names on this list. Hence, he takes the top spot.

All three spinners will be in action during the second phase of IPL 2021. It will be interesting to see who becomes the first to bowl seven maiden overs.