Since the beginning of the new season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) from last Thursday, fans have been able to witness some very high-scoring matches already, as the competitive tournament has seen runs scored as high as 221, with the bowlers being whitewashed thoroughly.
However, the ones who were in fact able to stop the batsman from bashing them were the ones who turned the match around in their favour. So here is a list of bowlers who have already shown their worth in the matches played till now.
Harshal Patel
The current purple cap leader Harshal Patel has been a sensation, who has been able to shine in both the games he has played. Marking his best bowling figure in IPL, he was remarkable against the Mumbai Indians. Picking five wickets and giving away just 27 runs, Patel maintained an astonishing economy as per IPL standards. He knocked down some of the deadliest hitters in Mumbai Indians including players like Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, and Kieron Pollard, as the man of the match played a decisive role in their victory.
He continued to impress in his second game against SRH, where he was assisted by an amazing Shahbaz Ahmed in the death overs, turning the match around in their favour and subsequently winning the game. Harshal Patel is the leading wicket-taker in IPL with seven wickets to his name.
Andre Russell
The Jamaican all-rounder who has yet not been able to establish his batting prowess has done wonders with his bowling. The big Jamaican recently bowled his best ever bowling figure in his T20 career, with an astounding 5/15 in their second match against Mumbai Indians, but it was all in vain as Kolkata Knight Riders lost the match.
However, despite playing two matches in succession (with just a day gap), Andre Russell was able to take over his bowling form in the second match, taking his tally to six wickets in just two games. Though he is yet to strike the ball as he does usually, he has been phenomenal with the ball, finding himself in the second position amongst the purple cap leaders.
Rahul Chahar
Chahar made a poor start to the ongoing season, as he gave away 43 runs in 4 overs in MI’s opener against Bangalore. Along with having an economy rate of 10.75, he wasn’t able to take a single wicket. Mumbai eventually lost the game in the last ball of the 20th over, but Chahar’s performance left much to be desired.
However, the spinner did bounce back brilliantly in his next match. Whilst bowling against the batters of KKR, he not only managed to maintain a good economy but also picked four wickets off 27 runs. He was the apparent difference between the two teams, where he managed to knock some of the very crucial wickets batsmen such as Rana, Gill, and Morgan.
Shahbaz Ahmed
Another such player to make a solid comeback was Shahbaz Ahmed from RCB. The Indian all-rounder had a rocky start to IPL 2021 as he was only given one over to bowl against Mumbai where he gave away 14 runs. Â
However, in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he was wonderful in the death overs. His over made the difference in the potential outcome of the match, as his over was the game’s turning point. In the 16th over, he dismissed three explosive batsmen including Manish Pandey, Jonny Bairstow, and Abdul Samad, which eventually led to SRH’s defeat.