In this IPL Records article, we’ll rank the IPL Teams according to their bowling line-up in IPL 2020. The Indian Premier League is all set to kick-off in UAE on September 18. While the Twenty-20 format is considered to be more about batsmen, it is a strong bowling line-up that proves instrumental to the success of a team. During the IPL 2020 auction, a few clubs focused entirely on strengthening the batting line-up. This might come to haunt them.
To everyone’s surprise, the most expensive purchase of this season’s auction is not a batsman but a bowler. Pat Cummins became the most expensive purchase as KKR splashed INR 16 crores to acquire the services of the talented pacer.
Here we have ranked all the teams on the basis of their bowling strength.
8) Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals Pace bowling options:
- Jofra Archer
- Tom Curran
- Ben Stokes
- Oshane Thomas
- Andrew Tye
- Ankit Rajpoot
- Varun Aaron
- Jaydev Unadkat
- Kartik Tyagi
- Akash Singh
Rajasthan Royals Spin Bowling options:
- Mahipal Lomror
- Shashank Singh
- Riyan Parag
- Rahul Tewatia
- Shreyas Gopal
- Mayank Markande
- Anirudha Joshi
The winners of the first-ever IPL trophy, Rajasthan Royals have the most disappointing bowling line-up going into IPL 2020. They have decent options in fast bowlers. However, most of their key pacers are overseas players. Due to restrictions, RR would be able to use only one of their overseas pacers among Tom Curran, Andrew Tye, and Jofra Archer. The domestic players other than Unadkat do not look very promising.
When it comes to spinners, Rajasthan Royals do not have many good options. The best spin option for RR is Shreyas Gopal. There are no overseas spinners in the squad. Considering the fact that pitches in the UAE are suitable for spinners, Rajasthan Royals are going to suffer. Rajasthan Royals will depend highly on batsmen to do wonders.
7) Kings XI Punjab
Kings XI Punjab Pace bowling options:
- Hardus Viljoen
- Sheldon Cottrell
- Chris Jordan
- Jimmy Neesham
- Mohammed Shami
- Arshdeep Singh
- Ishan Porel
- Harpreet Brar
Kings XI Punjab Spin Bowling options:
- Mujeeb-ur-Rahman
- Glenn Maxwell
- J. Suchith
- Harpreet Brar
- Ravi Bishnoi
- Tajinder Dhillon
- Murugan Ashwin
- Krishnappa Gowtham
- Deepak Hooda
KXIP has a disappointing selection of bowlers. While they were spot-on during the auction when it came to batsmen, the same can’t be said about bowlers. They will be led by the duo of Mohammad Shami and Sheldon Cottrell. The back-up options to these pacers are Chris Jordan and Ishan Porel.
There is no proven spin bowler in KXIP’s squad for IPL 2020. They have a fine spinner in Mujeeb. It will be interesting to see if Gowtham and Ravi Bishnoi can finally shine at the big stage. Overall, Kings XI Punjab has a very weak bowling line-up going into the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League.
6) Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore Pace bowling options:
- Chris Morris
- Isuru Udana
- Kane Richardson
- Dale Steyn
- Umesh Yadav
- Navdeep Saini
- Mohammed Siraj
- Shivam Dube
Royal Challengers Bangalore Spin Bowling options:
- Moeen Ali
- Washington Sundar
- Yuzvendra Chahal
- Pawan Negi
Royal Challenger Bangalore is not known for the best bowling line-up. The team has continued to follow its “batting-minded” strategy. While their batting line-up is arguably the best in IPL 2020, their bowling options are below par. For starters, they do not have any experienced domestic pacer to lead the team. Their best bet is Navdeep Saini.
RCB has a fine group of spinners. Yuzvebdra Chahal and Moeen Ali would lead the team. Both of them are ranked highly among the top bowlers in world cricket. The backup options do not look convincing. Pawan Negi is RCB’s best bet as a back-up. The RCB side will hugely depend on the batsmen to win the games.
5) Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad Pace bowling options:
- Billy Stanlake
- Mitchell Marsh
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Siddarth Kaul
- Khaleel Ahmed
- Sandeep Sharma
- Basil Thampi
- Vijay Shankar
- T. Natarajan
Sunrisers Hyderabad Spin Bowling options:
- Fabian Allen
- Mohammad Nabi
- Rashid Khan
- Shahbaz Nadeem
- Abhishek Sharma
- Sandeep Bavanaka
- Abdul Samad.
SRH had one of the best bowling squads till IPL 2018. Since last season, they do not look as strong as before when it comes to bowling. SRH would be led by Indian swing master, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Though his problems with injuries will be a huge concern for SRH. He is supported by the likes of Siddharth Kaul and Basil Thampi.
The most important bowler in the squad should be Rashid Khan. The 21 years old spinner from Afghanistan is a rare talent. He will be partnered by countryman Mohammad Nabi. Shahbaz Nadeem is the backup option for the Afghan spin duo. It will be interesting to see how Sunrisers Hyderabad line-up given their limited bowling options.
4) Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians Pace bowling options:
- Mitchell McClenaghan
- Lasith Malinga
- Trent Boult
- Nathan Coulter-Nile
- Kieron Pollard
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Hardik Pandya
- Dhawal Kulkarni
- Mohsin Khan
- Digvijay Deshmukh
Mumbai Indians Spin Bowling options:
- Anukul Roy
- Jayant Yadav
- Rahul Chahar
- Krunal Pandya
Mumbai Indians have a dangerous collection of pacers. If not for the slow and dead pitches of UAE, Mumbai Indians would have had the best bowling squad this season. Nevertheless, the Indian trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Dhawan Kulkarni is wholesome to have in a team.
They are further strengthened by the presence of Nathan Coulter-Nile, Trent Boult and Malinga. Lasith is expected to miss a few games. MI also has good options in spinners. Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar must be looking at IPL 2020 as their chance to make a name for themselves.
3) Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals Pace bowling options:
- Kagiso Rabada
- Anrich Nortje
- Marcus Stoinis
- Keemo Paul
- Ishant Sharma
- Avesh Khan
- Mohit Sharma
- Tushar Deshpande
- Harshal Patel
Delhi Capitals Spin Bowling options:
- Sandeep Lamichhane
- Axar Patel
- R Ashwin
- Lalit Yadav
- Amit Mishra
Delhi Capitals are one of the most powerful bowling sides participating in IPL 2020. They have great spinners in the squad such as Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, and Axar Patel. All three of these players are proven match-winner in the T-20 format. Delhi Capitals have reliable young options to support star players.
Delhi Capitals have a decent selection of fast bowlers. Unfortunately, DC will be without the services of Chris Woakes. The pacer who’s in the form of his life has decided to not play the tournament is a big miss for the team. He’s replaced by Anrich Nortje and supported by many promising young Indian and overseas pacers.
2) Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders Pace bowling options:
- Pat Cummins
- Harry Gurney
- Andre Russell
- Lockie Ferguson
- Shivam Mavi
- Kamlesh Nagarkoti
- Sandeep Warrier
- Prasidh Krishna
Kolkata Knight Riders Spin Bowling options:
- Sunil Narine
- Chris Green
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Varun Chakravarthy
- M Siddharth
- Nitish Rana
Sitting at number 2 spot on our list is Kolkata Knight Riders. While the injury of Harry Gurney is a big blow to the team, the squad has more than sufficient top-class bowlers. KKR made a big-money move for Pat Cummins who will partner with Andre Russell as the main bowlers.
KKR has many talented Indian bowlers in the squad such as Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Sandeep Warrier, and Prasidh Krishan. Their squad is further boosted with the excellent spin duo of Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav.
KKR has nice backup bowlers in Chris Green, Varun Chakravarthy, and M Siddharth. Varun is an exciting young spinner to look out for. Siddhart, the spinner from Tamilnadu will also be looking to announce himself at the big stage.
1) Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings Pace bowling options:
- Lungi Ngidi
- Josh Hazlewood
- DJ Bravo
- Sam Curran
- Deepak Chahar
- Shardul Thakur
- KM Asif
- Monu Singh
Chennai Super Kings Spin Bowling options:
- Imran Tahir
- Mitchell Santner
- Piyush Chawla
- R Sai Kishore
- Harbhajan Singh
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Karn Sharma
- Kedar Jadhav
CSK has an advantage over the other teams, thanks to the slow pitches of UAE. Chennai side has many good spinners in Harbhajan Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Karn Sharna, and Kedar Jadhav who will excel at these pitches in the UAE.
They have important overseas bowlers in the squad such as Mitchell Santner and Imran Tahir who won the purple cap last season. The domestic Indian spinners for CSK are Bhajji, Jadeja, Karn Sharma, Jadhav, Sai Kishore, and Piyush Chawla.
Besides a strong spin attack, CSK has recruited talented pacers as well. The likes of Sam Curran, DJ Bravo, Deepak Chahar, and Lungi Ndidi will be crucial to bowl the opening overs and terrorizing the opponents with speed and swing. Like always, CSK is going into this season of IPL as big favorites to win the trophy.
