But over the years, bowlers have found different ways of adapting and coming out on top. They have found ways to build pressure on the batsmen and get them out. Bowling dot balls in T20 cricket is one of the most important aspects for a bowler. Hence, over the years we have seen the importance of dot balls in the IPL. Thus, here we look at 5 bowlers who have bowled the most dot balls in the history of the IPL.
Note - All statistics are accurate as of 5th April, 2018
#5 Amit Mishra - 953
Amit Mishra is one of the most underrated Indian bowlers. He has been in and out of the Indian team (in all three formats) quite often and has never really got a long run to establish himself.
However, even in the IPL, he is quite unnoticed. And it may come as a surprise to many that Mishra is the second highest wicket-taker in the history of the IPL. In fact, he is the only bowler to take 3 IPL hat-tricks (he took hat-tricks in 2008, 2011 and 2013).
In his entire IPL career where he has played 126 games, he has bowled the second-most overs by any bowler in the IPL (439.5 overs) and has bowled 953 dot balls. He has also taken 134 wickets at an average of 24.34 and strike-rate of 19.69. Leg-spinners tend to be expensive, but Mishra has been pretty economical in the IPL and with 953 dot balls, the Haryana leggie is fifth on this list.
#4 Dale Steyn – 978
In his peak, Dale Steyn was one of the most feared bowlers in world cricket. He had the ability to run through batting line-ups. He has the ability to turn the game on its head in just a few deliveries.
In T20 cricket, Steyn might not have had the impact he had in the other two formats, but he was still a major part of any team. In the IPL, Steyn has been a part of 4 teams (RCB, DC, SRH, and GL) and was an integral component of each team even though he didn’t play all the games. He guided young bowlers and helped a lot of other players as well.
In the 90 games the South African fast bowler has played in the IPL, he took 92 wickets and had an excellent economy of 6.72. He had one of the best dot-ball percentages in the IPL - 47.52% (978 dot balls). However, due to injuries, Steyn hasn’t played a lot of games in the last three seasons (only 7 games and the last one in 2016).
#3 Harbhajan Singh – 1060
Harbhajan Singh is a kind of player every team wants - happy, fun-loving, enthusiastic and light-hearted. He is that kind of player that keeps the mood and tempo of the entire team on the right note irrespective of the situation on or off the field.
Playing for Mumbai Indians for 10 years, Harbhajan was the workhorse bowler. He bowled tight lines, never allowed the batsmen to get away with easy runs and was also a handy batsman in the lower-order. Also, he has bowled the most number of overs by a bowler in the IPL (486.3 overs). He also is one of the three bowlers who has bowled over a 1000 dot balls in the IPL. The Punjab off-spinner is also the third on the highest wicket-takers list with 127 wickets in 136 games.
The 37-year-old will be seen in yellow this time around as he was picked by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at his base price of Rs 2 crore.
#2 Lasith Malinga – 1060
Lasith Malinga is arguably one of the best bowlers to have played the IPL. He is undoubtedly an IPL legend. His association with Mumbai Indians has always been a special one and the chants of ‘Malinga, Malinga, Malinga’ have become one of the famous chants at the Wankhede Stadium.
In his peak, there was no better bowler than Malinga, especially at the death. His four overs were one of the most difficult ones for the batting side. The yorker, the slower ball, the surprise bouncer, he had it all. He has played a crucial role in Mumbai Indians’ three title triumphs.
Malinga has taken 154 wickets in 110 games in the IPL. He is the all-time leading wicket-taker in the IPL. His economy of 6.87 and strike-rate of 16.61 was simply superb. In the 426.3 overs, the Sri Lankan pacer has bowled in the IPL, 1060 have been dot balls which puts him at the second place in this list.
This year, no team bought him in the auction. However, Mumbai Indians then went ahead and hired Malinga as the bowling mentor.
#1 Praveen Kumar – 1075
Praveen Kumar is a surprising name in this list. But he has bowled the most dot balls in the history of the IPL. In fact, he has also bowled the most number of maiden overs (14). He was one of the best powerplay bowlers. He had the superb ability to swing (or move) the ball both ways.
One fact that many might not know is that Praveen Kumar bowled the first-ever over in the IPL. The Uttar Pradesh lad represented 5 teams (RCB, KXIP, MI, SRH, and GL) in his 10-year IPL career. He played 119 games and picked up 90 wickets. However, he bowled 1075 dot balls in his IPL career.
Unfortunately, after playing for Gujarat Lions in the last two seasons where he took just 15 wickets in 22 games, Praveen Kumar’s name didn’t even appear this year’s auction and hence, he will not be taking part in this year’s IPL.
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