Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 witnessed some spectacular bowling performances from unforeseen ends. Bowlers, with their craic spells, bamboozled some of the top batters of the T20 tournament.
Let’s have a look at some of the game-changing performances in IPL 2021:
Andre Russell (5-15 in 2 overs): Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians in Chennai
The second fifer of the IPL 2021 was bagged by KKR all-rounder Andre Russell during a match against Mumbai Indians (MI). The noteworthy thing about the game was that Russell bowled only two overs.
Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Marco Jansen, Rahul Chahar and Jasprit Bumrah succumbed to the Caribbean cricketer’s bowling in the death over.
Russell conceded just fifteen runs in his two overs to restrict MI 152 in twenty overs.
Harshal Patel (5-27 in 4 overs): Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians in Chennai
In the inaugural match of the cash-rich league, Harshal Patel rose to the occasion to rile the Mumbai Indians (MI) batters with his splendid show with the ball. Dispiriting the morale of Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya and Marco Jansen, Patel ended up with a fifer for 27 runs in his four overs.
His was the first five-wicket haul in the 14th edition of the IPL. The 30-year-old was particularly untenable with his slower ones. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) were exalted to find a new death over specialists rising through their ranks.
Deepak Chahar (4-13 in 4 overs): Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings in Mumbai
Deepak Chahar delivered an efficient and effective spell for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their contest against Punjab Kings (PBKS).
The right-arm pacer deceived the batsmen with his wings while picking up the prized wickets of Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Chris Gayle, and Deepak Hooda.
By only conceding 14 runs in his four overs, Chahar proved his worth and took home the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
Chris Morris (4-23 in 4 overs): Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai
Chris Morris raided through the ranks of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) when they were looking to accelerate. Being an effective death over specialist, Morris dismissed Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins and Shivam Mavi.
Morris, who was the costliest player in the IPL history, proved his worth by bowling five dot balls in the final over to contain KKR to a paltry 133/9 in their allotted twenty overs.
Amit Mishra (4-24 in 4 overs): Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians in Chennai
Picking up four wickets in his four overs for just 24 runs, Amit Mishra was awarded the ‘Player of the Match’ for his outstanding performance.
The tweaker bamboozled and dismissed the most reliable MI batters- Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard.
Providing breakthrough at regular intervals, the veteran spinner made sure that MI could not build the innings they would have wanted.
SPECIAL MENTION :
Rahul Chahar (4-27 in 4 overs): Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai
Deepak’s cousin Rahul Chahar too panned eyes with his leg-breaks in a match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Knight Riders’ were stationed at 72 without any wicket loss before Chahar spun a web around Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan and Nitish Rana in his successive overs.
This triggered an irreparable loss for the KKR, who ultimately lost the match by ten runs. Meanwhile, Chahar won his skipper’s trust and was then the go-to bowler for MI in their middle overs.
Harpreet Brar (3-19 in 4 overs): Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Ahmedabad
No list of IPL 2021 bowlers is complete without a special mention of Harpreet Brar.
Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar were looking to build a sturdy partnership when Brar, with his spin, tricked the RCB batter’s into playing the incorrect line. The 25-year-old dismissed Kohli, AB De Villiers and Glenn Maxwell in the space of seven deliveries, thus upending the contest for his team.
RCB suffered a collapse from which they could never recover in the game as Punjab Kings (PBKS) went on to seal the match.
