Top 5 death bowlers in this IPL

That IPL is explosive is beyond doubt, even though the commentary and hype can, at times, leave you a little frustrated. However, it has also been an amazing platform for the veteran fast bowlers to show their worth and the young ones to show their skills and learn some.This edition, in particular, has seen some scintillating strokeplay but if anything has kept it in check, it is the way some of the bowlers have bowled at the death. Given how 15 to 18 runs are par for the course in the IPL after the 15th over, it takes tremendous skill, temperament and composure on the part of the bowlers to go for a single-digit over that could halt the momentum to a certain extent. Considering how inside and outside edges have gone for fours and sixes easily, an economy of under seven is close to genius, especially for bowlers who have bowled in the powerplay or in the slog overs.We take a look at the top five bowlers at the death in this edition of the IPL.Note: Sandeep Sharma misses out in spite of one of the best economies and dot ball percentages as he bowls a majority of his overs at the start. Morne Morkel started the tournament brilliantly but ended up on the bench as Pat Cummins became KKR’s pace bowler of choice, almost inexplicably.

#5 Trent Boult - SRH

The fact that Trent Boult has been preferred over Dale Steyn in the Sunrisers Hyderabad side just goes to show how highly the New Zealander is rated. A left-armer capable of swinging the ball both ways, Boult has managed more than 10 dot balls on average every game across the six games that he has featured in.

In those six games, he has picked up 8 wickets at 23.87 with an economy of under eight. One of Boult’s better performances came against RCB in Bangalore when he picked up 3 for 36, cleaning up the lower order and helping restrict a powerful batting line-up to just 166. He was also terrific against the Kings XI Punjab as he registered figures of 3-19 in his quota of four overs to restrict KXIP to 130 while defending just 150.

#4 Lasith Malinga - MI

Lasith Malinga started the IPL on a very slow note, dealing with bad form after an injury recovery that saw him being rushed straight to the World Cup. However, he has found his mojo as the tournament has gone on, bowling more and more overs with the class and finesse that his fans are used to seeing from him.

His resurgence has helped the Mumbai Indians mount a strong comeback after a very bad start. He was at his best with figures of 4-23 in his four overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad while defending just 157. In no time, he has also climbed up the wicket-taking charts to go to third with 13 wickets under his belt.

#3 Ashish Nehra - CSK

He has been a revelation this season. He bowls at the start for Chennai Super Kings and invariably bowls a couple of overs in the second half of the innings. Yet, he has been impressive with his numbers. The left-arm slinging bowler is not a big fan of slower deliveries but certainly bowls a good yorker that helps him keep the runs under control.

An economy of 6.72 over 36 overs, with an average of 17 having taken 14 wickets in 9 games is no mean achievement. He is next only to Sandeep Sharma with 94 dot balls this tournament. While he was virtually unplayable in his spell of 4/10 against RCB in Bangalore, his best spell this season came against the Delhi Daredevils when he gave away just 25 runs for three wickets in four overs to help CSK win the game by just one run.

#2 Bhuvneshwar Kumar - SRH

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, unassuming and quiet, almost doesn’t look the part as a death bowler specialist. But he has been responsible in keeping Sunrisers Hyderabad in the hunt by bowling some brilliant overs at the end of an innings. The yorker specialist has 11 wickets this season in 8 games, at 19.27 with an economy of just 6.87. He has 76 dot balls to his credit.

Most importantly, you’ll have to watch the games to truly recognise Bhuvneshwar’s contributions. Kumar, who bowled wonderfully to register 3-26 in a losing cause against Mumbai Indians, helped his team beat the powerful CSK with figures of 2-32, where he bowled a couple of overs in the death hardly giving anything away. He had figures of 2-23 in a win against KXIP, once again pairing up with Praveen Kumar to stall the onslaught in the end.

In a rain-shortened game against KKR, he managed figures of 1-24 to ensure SRH won by 16 runs through the D/L method, even though KKR had plenty of wickets in hand. Even in the team’s losses, he has been a positive aspect, going for 1-21 against Delhi Daredevils and 0-25 against Rajasthan Royals defending just 130 and taking the game to the last ball.

#1 Mitchell Starc - RCB

The best death bowler in the world is the X-Factor that Royal Challengers Bangalore badly needed to turn their campaign around. Ever since his return after injury, Mitchell Starc has been sensational. In 14 overs bowled so far, he has managed 43 dots, at least three per over. His average and strike-rate, like in the World Cup, are unbelievable too, 10 and 10.5 respectively with eight wickets at nearly two per game.

He has the lowest economy of all bowlers with more than three games at an incredible 5.78, thanks largely to deadly accurate swinging yorkers. In a rain-shortened 10 over per side game against KKR, Starc bowled his two overs with figures of 1-15. Delhi Daredevils had no answer for him as he registered figures of 3-20 in four overs, bundling Daredevils out for 95, cleaning up a couple of lower order batsmen with fast yorkers.

In a one-sided game when RCB thrashed Rajasthan Royals who were restricted to 130, it was Starc yet again with figures of 3-22 including two lower order wickets at the death. Even in the loss to CSK, when RCB had to chase 181, Starc registered 1-24 in his four overs, showing how Virat Kohli can breathe easy as far as those four overs are concerned. With him only gaining form as the tournament progresses, RCB are likely to be a formidable force especially with their top three batsmen getting into good nick as well.