Who is the Most Dangerous Bowler in IPL History?

Top 10 Most Dangerous Bowler in IPL History 
 

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10. Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada is one of the greatest fast bowlers in the IPL. The South African pacer has played 80 matches in the IPL so far, picking up 117 wickets. Rabada holds the record for picking up at least one wicket in a game. From IPL 2017 to IPL 2020, the right-arm pacer picked up at least one wicket for 25 consecutive innings.

His strike rate of 15.53 makes Rabada the go-to bowler in most situations. While most fast bowlers exploit the lateral movement from the new ball, Rabada can pick wickets in the middle overs and death overs.

9. Andre Russell

Andre Russell is mainly known for his hard-hitting prowess with the bat. However, the all-rounder has used his experience from playing T20 matches all around the world to enhance his bowling performance. In 127 matches in the IPL, Russell has taken 115 wickets going at an economy of 9.35 RPO. His bowling strike rate makes him stand apart from the rest of the bowlers. Russell has a bowling strike rate of 14.75, which is the best among bowlers with at least 50 wickets.
 

KKR uses him as a death-over specialist. Russell has redefined his bowling in the last few years. In the previous four seasons of the IPL, the Jamaican all-rounder has picked up 54 wickets.

8. Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh last played an IPL match in 2021, but the former off-spinner is one of the best spinners in the IPL. In 163 games, the right-arm off-spinner took 150 wickets. Harbhajan's prolonged career in the IPL skewed his otherwise excellent bowling record in the league. In his last season with KKR, he played three matches and bowled seven wicketless overs. 

For 10 seasons, Harbhajan played for Mumbai Indians, where he enjoyed the most success. However, unlike most of the other bowlers on this list, it was not Harbhajan's wicket-taking ability that made him a dangerous bowler but his economy. The former Indian spinner had an IPL career economy of only 7.07 in spite of playing 163 matches.

7. Rashid Khan

The rise of Afghanistan from an average associate nation to being a world beater in present times has been made possible solely because of Rashid Khan. The leg-spinner was the first player from his country to play in the IPL when he made his debut for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2017. His first season with the Orange Army accounted for 17 wickets in 14 matches while he maintained an economy of 6.62. 
 

Rashid quickly became one of the most sought-after players around the globe, thanks to his ability to control the flow of runs. In the IPL, the Afghan spinner has played 121 matches and picked 149 wickets. However, his economy of 6.82 makes him a dangerous bowler in the IPL. 
 

Also read: Dangerous IPL team 2025

6. Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin has been one of the mainstays of the IPL since its second season. The right-arm off-spinner started his journey in the IPL with his home side, Chennai Super Kings. While being the most dangerous bowler in the IPL, Ashwin has applied his tricks and skills for five teams. He spent seven seasons with CSK, during which time he will be making a grand homecoming return to IPL 2025. 

Like Harbhajan, Ashwin, too, has lost his wicket-taking ability in the last four seasons. Meanwhile, thanks to the plethora of variations Ashwin has, he has been able to stay one of the most dangerous bowlers in IPL at present. In 212 matches, Ashwin has picked 180 wickets with an economy of 7.12 RPO.
 

5. Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal, with his record tally of 205 wickets, is a dangerous bowler in the IPL. He has the most wickets in the IPL. The leg-spinner's feat of being the only bowler with 200 wickets in the IPL becomes even more special because of his time spent playing for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. RCB's home matches are at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, which has the most batting-friendly conditions in the IPL.
 

Even after leaving RCB after IPL 2021, Chahal managed to retain his form and won the purple cap for Rajasthan Royals in his first season. In three seasons with RR, Chahal picked 66 wickets. He is still one of the best spinners in the country and was recently picked up for ₹18 crores by the Punjab Kings at the IPL 2025 Mega Auction.

4. Sunil Narine

In present-day T20 cricket, most teams around the world find success with a mystery spinner. But there was a time when Sunil Narine and Ajantha Mendis were the outcasts in the world of traditional spin bowlers. When Narine came to the IPL, his action and bowling style posed questions similar to those of the batters, like Bumrah's does in the current times; in his first season with KKR in 2012, the mystery picked 24 wickets in 15 matches and won them their first IPL trophy. 

In his first three seasons for the three-time champions, Narine took 67 wickets while maintaining an economy of less than a run per ball. While his batting exploits at the top of the order have overshadowed his bowling prowess, Narine is still a dangerous bowler in the IPL. In 177 matches, the KKR spinner has taken 180 wickets while maintaining an economy of 6.73 RPO.
 

3. Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo was the first bowler to master the art of bowling in the death overs. The West Indian all-rounder, with his armory of cutters, made it extremely difficult for the batters to hit boundaries off his bowling. Those who tried to smack the ball for a six were often caught at the boundary, having been deceived by the change of pace.
 

Bravo was the first bowler to win the Purple Cap twice in IPL. He achieved the feat in 2013 and 2015. The all-rounder played Mumbai Indians before switching to join their arch-rivals, Chennai Super Kings. It was at CSK, where Bravo was the most dangerous bowler in IPL for a few years. In 161 matches, Bravo picked 183 wickets, most of which came at the back-end of the innings while defending a total or stopping the opposition from hitting boundaries.

2. Lasith Malinga

Over the years, many bowlers have established a stock ball as their trademark. A fast yorker is considered to be the most challenging delivery to face and bowl in cricket. So when Lasith Malinga came into the IPL with his trademark delivery, being the YorkerYorker with subtle variations, he instantly became the most difficult bowler to face. On top of the searing, in-swinging Yorker was his round-arm slingy action, which made it even more difficult for the batters to face him.

Malinga, while bowling with the new ball, could swing the ball like any other bowler. In the later stages of the innings, the Sri Lankan bowler could bowled a fast yorker or with a slower variation. Both were extremely hard to play. In 122 matches, Malinga took 170 wickets with an economy of 7.14 RPO. Among bowlers with at least 150 wickets, the former MI pacer had the best career strike rate of 16.6.

1. Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah is the most dangerous bowler in IPL history. The Indian fast bowler is one of the toughest bowlers to face and, at the time of writing, is hailed as perhaps the greatest bowler in the history of the game. Bumrah, with his unique action, is from Lasith Malinga's school of bowling. Thankfully, the Indian pacer spent most of his time during his formative years learning from the Sri Lankan pacer at the Mumbai Indians.

Bumrah is five wickets short of overtaking Malinga's tally in the IPL. Meanwhile, he has already emerged as the nightmare for batters all around the world. In 133 matches, Bumrah has taken 165 wickets with an economy of 7.30 RPO. In 2024, the Indian pacer elevated his bowling standards when he took 20 wickets with an economy of 6.48. His economy was the best among bowlers, with at least two wickets in the season.
 

Top 10 Most Dangerous Bowler in IPL 2025
 

Ravindra Jadeja is one of the best spinners in IPL 2025. The spin-bowling all-rounder from Chennai Super Kings with an economy of 7.56 is one of the most economical bowlers in the league. Bumrah and Jadeja are followed by Indian bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav on the list.

Wicket Warriors:

Jasprit Bumrah is the most dangerous bowler in IPL; with his 165 wickets with an economy of 7.30 RPO, he tops the list of most hazardous bowlers in IPL history. Other bowlers have demonstrated their skills and abilities to take wickets and restrict runs, making a valuable contribution to their teams.