Top 5 IPL leg-spinners of all time

IPL 2018 is just around the corner and cricket fans across the globe are waiting with bated breath for the eleventh and what promises to be the greatest and grandest season yet of India's very own global T20 competition, to kick-start.

The T20 format promises plenty of runs and plenty of entertainment with fans getting to witness nearly every shot in the book. The batsmen dominate in the format no doubt but the importance of good bowling cannot be undermined.

Spinners play a very crucial role in the T20 format, be it with picking up crucial wickets or just containing the scoring.

In case of a leg-spinner, it is more to do with the former as their job is to deceive the batsmen into miscuing a shot even if it means giving some runs away in the process.

The art of leg-spin is always fun to watch and veterans like Shane Warne, Brad Hogg and India's very own Pravin Tambe have shown that age is never a factor when it comes to showing one's brilliance on the field.

India's latest bowling sensation Kuldeep Yadav also has the IPL to thank for his Indian team call-up but who are the most successful leg-spinners in the glorious ten-year history of the IPL?

Let's have a look.

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#5 Karn Sharma

The 30-year-old leg-spinner from Meerut has been around in the Indian domestic circuit since 2007 but it was only after the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy, where he took 21 wickets at 19.04 in just three matches, that an IPL opportunity came Karn Sharma's way.

He did make his IPL debut back in 2009 for Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB) against Deccan Chargers, but he didn't get an opportunity to bowl that day.

However, in the 2013 edition of the IPL, Sharma capitalised on the chances that came his way, picking up 11 wickets from 13 matches, conceding runs at a miserly 6.60 runs-per-over, proving to be an excellent foil to the senior leg-spinner in the side, Amit Mishra.

The testament for his consistency came in the way of being the highest paid uncapped Indian player in IPL 2014 when Sunrisers Hyderabad retained his services for a sum of Rs 3.75 crore.

Sharma responded with 15 wickets and 10 wickets in the next two editions of the IPL but after a disappointing 2016 season, where he failed to pick a single wicket during Sunrisers Hyderabad's successful IPL campaign, the franchise chose not to retain the leg-spinner for the 2017 edition.

SRH's loss was Mumbai Indians' (MI) gain as Karn Sharma played an instrumental role in helping the side achieve IPL glory in 2017 picking up 4 wickets in their semi-final win over KKR.

The leg-spinner also played a key role in the low-scoring final against Rising Pune Supergiants (RSP), conceding just 18 runs in 4 overs, bowling as many as 12 dot balls.

Despite his brilliant performances, MI chose not to retain Sharma and the 30-year-old leg-spinner will represent Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2018.

#4 Shane Warne

Warne will mentor Rajasthan Royals in the 2018 IPL

Australian legend Shane Warne became an instant IPL hero when he led Rajasthan Royals to glory in the inaugural edition in 2008 as captain-cum-coach.

Warne lists not getting to captain Australia as one of his career's biggest regrets and the way he led the unfancied RR side to triumph was a brilliant example of the way he could inspire youngsters.

He led from the front, picking up 19 wickets from 15 matches, to emerge as the second-highest wicket-taker behind his teammate Sohail Tanvir who picked up 22 wickets.

Warne continued playing for 3 more IPL seasons, captaining the side until 2011. He finished with 57 wickets from 55 IPL matches and the fact that he still features in this list despite featuring only in the first four editions of the IPL speaks of the kind of impact the Australian legend had on the tournament.

#3 Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal's IPL performances earned him a national team call-up; one he has capitalised immensely upon

Impressive performances in the domestic circuit for Haryana earned young rookie leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal an IPL contract with Mumbai Indians in 2011 but it was not until the 2013 edition when he would finally make his IPL debut for Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

That match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) yielded no wickets and Chahal played no further part that season but he finally made an impact in the 2014 edition picking up 12 wickets from 14 matches.

The experience helped Chahal earn a foothold in the RCB bowling line-up and it has been a show of strength ever since, with the 2015 IPL where he picked up 23 wickets from 15 matches proving to be a turning point in his career.

He followed it up 21 wickets from just 13 IPL matches in 2016 and a national team call-up in the ODI and T20 formats shortly followed and Chahal has made those opportunities cementing his place as the leading spinner for India in the limited-over formats.

He is one of IPL's hottest properties and it was no surprise that RCB used the Right To Match (RTM) card to retain the wily leg-spinner's services at the 2018 IPL auction.

#2 Piyush Chawla

Chawla has taken 126 IPL wickets from 129 matches

Piyush Chawla is one of IPL's most capped players and is also the fourth highest wicket-taker in IPL history with 126 wickets from 129 matches.

Chawla represented Kings XI Punjab from 2008 to 2013 and was then picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders at the 2014 IPL auction. KKR retained his services at the 2018 IPL using the RTM card to clinch him away from CSK for Rs 4.2 crore.

Chawla has been a consistent performer in the IPL and his wicket-taking ability is something to admire about. This has been most evident with his performances for KKR where he has managed to stand out in a side that also featured Shakib-al Hasan, Brad Hogg and Kuldeep Yadav.

Chawla played a key role in KKR's title triumph in 2014, picking up 14 wickets from 11 matches at 21.64. Still only 29, Chawla is a seasoned campaigner with plenty of experience in hand and along with Yadav, is expected to lead the spin attack for KKR in the 2018 edition.

#1 Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra is the only player to take 3 IPL hat-tricks

The most successful Indian bowler in IPL history with 134 wickets from 126 matches, Amit Mishra is 20 wickets behind Lasith Malinga's tally of 154 wickets and with the Sri Lankan not in the fray for the 2018 edition, could close down the gap to the Sri Lankan, with his side the Delhi Daredevils.

Mishra started his IPL career with the Delhi-based franchise before moving to Deccan Chargers in 2011 and then Sunrisers Hyderabad, before making his return to DD in 2015.

Mishra has been a consistent performer in the IPL, taking 10 wickets or more in all but two IPL seasons so far, and with Imran Tahir moving to CSK for the 2018 edition, could find plenty more chances coming his way for DD.

He is also the only player to take three IPL hat-tricks having picked one each for each of his three IPL sides so far.