Which bowler has the best bowling average in IPL history?

Best Bowling Average in IPL 2025

Jasprit Bumrah has the best bowling average in IPL 2025. The right-arm pacer has picked up 17 wickets at an average of 14.64. After missing out on a few games, Bumrah came back to the Mumbai Indians squad and has been one of the best bowlers in the tournament since his return.

Josh Hazlewood follows Bumrah on the list with 21 wickets at an average of 15.80. The Australian pacer has been at the forefront of the RCB bowling lineup as they reached the finals. Jaydev Unadkat, Noor Ahmad, and Eshan Malinga make up the top five with averages of 15.90, 17.00, and 18.30, respectively.

List of Best Bowling Average in IPL History

5. Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada is the second South African to make it into the list for best bowling average in IPL. The pacer has picked up 117 wickets in the IPL at an average of 21.96. Rabada has been a successful death bowler and picks up most of his wickets during that phase. While most players prove to be expensive during the death overs, Rabada has been successful in not only defending totals but also picking up wickets in the process. He has been a consistent performer in the IPL. In his seven seasons at the IPL, Rabada has picked up more than 20 wickets thrice including 30 wickets for DC in 2020 where they ended as the runner-up. 

4. Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal, as is the case with other bowling records, makes it into the list of best bowling averages in the IPL. The right-arm leg spinner has taken the most wickets in the league’s history while being pretty cheap with his spells. The Indian spinner has picked up 219 wickets at an average of 22.63. What makes Chahal’s achievement of making this list even more special is that he played for the majority of his career for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. It is one of the smallest stadiums in the world and certainly has the shortest boundaries for a stadium in the Indian Premier League. Being a spinner, Chahal not only picked up wickets consistently but also led an otherwise poor bowling attack. 

3. Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah in the last few years, has been the best all-format bowler in the world. The Indian pacer has translated his form from international cricket to the Indian Premier League as well. The 2024 and 2025 seasons have seen the batting strike rates increase exponentially. Even the best of the bowlers have gone for runs; however, Bumrah during these two years has not only picked up the wickets consistently but also remained pretty economical. He has picked up 182 wickets at an average of 21.79. No other bowler has picked up more wickets than Bumrah at a better average. He is only two points adrift of Lasith Malinga, who is at the top of the list. The way Bumrah is performing in recent years, the right-arm pacer could overtake his former teammate at the Mumbai Indians. 

2. Imran Tahir

Imran Tahir was always a late bloomer. He made his international debut in 2011 at the age of 32 years. His first IPL season came much later at the age of 35 years. Since his debut in the IPL, the South African leg-spinner has been a great performer for his teams. Tahir has picked up 82 wickets at an average of 20.76 and has the best bowling average for a spinner in the IPL. While his long sprinting celebrations are etched in history, he made a name for himself with a googly which was tough to read for many batters. He is one of the leg spinners who not only spin the ball but does it at a higher pace like Shahid Afridi and Anil Kumble. His long height allowed him to be quick through the air which meant that the batters did not have much time to read him off the pitch. This allowed him to be economical while picking up wickets.

1. Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga is arguably the greatest pacer in IPL’s history. The Sri Lankan legend has the best bowling average for players with at least 40 wickets in the IPL. Malinga picked up 170 wickets while conceding 3,365 runs averaging 19.79 per wicket. His greatest strengths were his two stock deliveries. Malinga had an incredible toe-crushing yorker which was often unplayable by the best batters. He had a deceptive slow bouncer which enticed players to have a go at and edge the ball behind to keeper. He also had a knack for bowling wide yorkers. These wide yorkers were not bowled necessarily for taking wickets but were used by him as a medium to restrict runs. Malinga also played a huge role in Mumbai Indians’ four of the five title wins in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019. In those four seasons, he picked up more than 70 wickets at an average of close to 24.

Best Bowling Average in IPL by Indian Bowlers

Jasprit Bumrah has the best bowling average in IPL among Indian bowlers. The right-arm pacer has picked up 182 wickets at an average of 21.79. He is one of the best bowlers in the history of the IPL. Bumrah is followed by Yuzvendra Chahal on the list. The leg-spinner holds the record for taking the most wickets in the tournament. He has 219 wickets to his name, averaging 22.63. Ashish Nehra, Harshal Patel, and Amit Mishra make up the top five with with an average of less than 24.