T20 cricket often sees a lopsided battle between the bat and ball. Batters make inroads in almost any condition, while bowlers face the brunt.
And this prompts teams to have bowlers who can bowl tidy spells. These days, it’s more important to contain the runs than to go after wickets.
The fewer runs a bowler concedes, the better the chances for his team to win. And many bowlers have kept oppositions run-scoring in check while returning with miserly economy rates in the IPL.
Here we’ll look at the top five bowlers with the best economy rates in IPL history. (Note: Bowlers who have bowled at least 50 overs considered in this list.)
5. Sunil Narine | 6.77
Sunil Narine has to be among the best bowlers the IPL has ever seen. The spin magician has caught batters off guard with his mystery variations.
And that’s one reason he has been one of the most economical bowlers in the league. Batters often fail to read his variations, prompting them to play safe.
Narine has been going just above a run-a-ball in the IPL, having bowled over 720 overs.
4. Roelof van der Merwe | 6.74
If you have followed the IPL in the initial seasons, you perhaps know him well. Roelof van der Merwe featured in the league between 2009 and 2013.
While he didn’t play a lot, he often bowled tight spells. Van der Merwe kept batters on the edge with his slow left-arm spin.
Across the five seasons, van der Merwe leaked 498 runs in 73.5 overs to have an economy rate of 6.74.
3. Muttiah Muralitharan | 6.67
Muttiah Muralitharan was already a legend even before the IPL started. And he showed his greatness in the league with his miserly spells.
Murali had all the variations up his sleeve to test the batters. Plus, his unconventional bowling action made it hard to play him.
The Sri Lankan great toiled in the league for seven seasons across 66 matches. Murali sent down 254 overs and picked up 63 scalps while keeping the economy at 6.67.
2. Glenn McGrath | 6.61
Glenn McGrath graced the IPL with his presence in 2008. While it was a one-season stint with Delhi Daredevils, the former Australian pacer showed great control over the ball.
He bowled accurate lines and lengths to leave batters short of any room. McGrath used all his years of experience to put a lid on run-scoring.
In his sole season, the right-arm pacer ended up with an economy of 6.61. He delivered 54 overs across 14 games and nabbed 12 wickets.
1. Anil Kumble | 6.57
Like McGrath and Murali, Anil Kumble was a seasoned campaigner. He had made a name for himself with his leg spin.
While Kumble didn’t extract a lot of turn, he relied on precision bowling. He varied his line and lengths to keep batters on their toes.
Kumble appeared in the IPL for three seasons for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He made batters dance to his tune in 160.5 overs bowled at an economy rate of 6.57.
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