The Indian Premier League is not only about batters sending bowlers on a leather hunt. Even the bowlers have raised their hands and delivered in crucial situations. Dismissing the batter isn't the only ploy. Choking the opposition with dot balls has worked, too.
Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar tops the IPL list with 1,607 dots, followed by Rajasthan Royals off-spinner R. Ashwin, who has delivered 1,525 dots. Kolkata Knight Riders' mystery spinner, Sunil Narine, has 1,518 dots.
Ashwin's 157 dots and 20 wickets helped the Chennai Super Kings in pressure situations in IPL 2011, which they won, while Kumar's 156 dots, paired with 23 wickets, in 2016 was instrumental in Sunrisers' title win. Similarly, Narine bowled 164 dots with 24 wickets in KKR's maiden title-winning year in 2012. Two years later, he bowled 157 dots and claimed 21 wickets to hand KKR their second title.
Kagiso Rabada (Punjab Kings)
The South African fast bowler is fast and furious. He knows his lengths and can vary the pace. Rabada has bowled 35 dots out of the 72 deliveries in the first three matches for Punjab Kings. He has picked up four wickets at an economy of 8.08 and can do far better in the remaining fixtures. He had bowled 156 dots and 30 wickets in IPL 2020 while playing for Delhi Capitals. The franchise had finished runners-up.
Deepak Chahar (Chennai Super Kings)
Deepak Chahar has started his IPL 2024 journey with three wickets in two outings. The right-arm pacer, who relies on swing, has bowled 21 dots out of the 48 deliveries in the first two matches for the defending champions. Chahar has six maiden overs to his credit in his 75-match IPL career and is a potent force in the Yellow Army. Chahar bowled 132 dots and picked up 14 wickets in CSK's fourth IPL win in 2021.
Mohammed Siraj (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Siraj was one of the standout speedsters in IPL 2023. The right-arm pacer bowled 161 dots and picked up 19 wickets. He started the ongoing season on a positive note with 2/26 in four overs against Punjab but leaked 46 in his three against KKR. Siraj has bowled 24 dots out of the 66 deliveries. He will be keen to recover and deliver by the standards he set for himself.
Tushar Deshpande (Chennai Super Kings)
Deshpande was one of the go-to bowlers for MS Dhoni in IPL 2023. The Mumbai pacer bowled 137 dots and picked up 21 wickets in CSK's fifth IPL title win last year. The 28-year-old did not have a great first match this season as he leaked 0/47 against RCB. He made a comeback with figures of 2/21 to choke Gujarat Titans in the second outing. Deshpande has bowled 22 dots out of 48 deliveries.
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