Top Contenders to win the Purple Cap this Year in IPL 2023
Yuzvendra Chahal won the Purple Cap in last year's IPL. (Twitter)
It is often said in cricket that "batters win you games, bowlers you tournaments". The statement holds true for the majority of the cricketing events including the lucrative Indian Premier League. In IPL, strong bowling sides have more consistent results compared to strong batting sides. Take the example of last year's winners- Gujarat Titans. Mohammad Shami, Rashid Khan, Yash Dayal, and skipper Hardik Pandya all stood up for their team as the Titans won the title in their first season.
IPL's most successful team- Mumbai Indians always had champion bowlers in their roster and that's one of the prime reasons why they hold five IPL titles. In the 2019 final, the veteran pacer Lasith Malinga saved 2 runs off the last delivery of that edition to win the title for his team. Mumbai won that game by 1 run.
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Similarly, in 2017, MI won the final by 1 run. And in the 2016 final, Bhuvneshwar Kumar-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) defended the total against a strong Royal Challengers Bangalore batting line-up. It's quite evident that teams with a good variety in the bowling department have been successful in lifting the coveted IPL trophy.
In this age of batters where all rules are being designed to glorify them even more, one just forgets the role of bowlers. In IPL, bowlers with the most wickets get recognized by Purple Cap. It's a cap that has been given since the inception of the league in 2008 to the bowler who ends up taking the most wickets.
This year will again have many world-class bowlers performing to the best of their abilities in order to clinch the Purple Cap. In the first edition of the IPL, Pakistan's Sohail Tanvir won the award while in the last season, Yuzvendra Chahal won the prestigious award.
5) Deepak Chahar
Deepak Chahar playing for CSK (Source: Twitter)
Having missed out on the last season due to injury, a rejuvenated Deepak Chahar will be aiming to make a big impact with the ball in the upcoming season. The retirement of Dwayne Bravo makes Chahar the senior most pacer in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team, who'll lead the pack of fast bowlers this season. Since his debut for CSK in 2018, Chahar has been Dhoni's go-to bowler, especially in the powerplay overs.
Regarded as one of the best swing bowlers in white-ball cricket, Chahar has taken 43 of his 59 wickets in the first six overs at a staggering economy rate of 7.75. Without Bravo, the onus will be on Chahar to take the charge in the death overs as well. This season, it will be a different challenge for Chahar and if he stays fit and plays all the games, he can find himself at the top of the ladder.
4) Kagiso Rabada
Kagiso Rabada playing for PBKS (Source: Twitter)
The South African Speedster is one of the most fearsome fast bowlers going around in the world right now. Rabada is in the bracket of elite quicks who are feared with the new ball and in the death overs. The knack of picking wickets at crucial junctures of the game, the ability to hold the nerves under pressure, and executing plans to perfection isn't something everyone gets right but Rabada does.
In his best IPL season in 2020, Rabada bagged 30 wickets in 17 matches at an average of 18.26 to win the purple cap. Last season, he spearheaded Punjab Kings (PBKS) bowling attack and finished as third highest wicket-taker, having picked 23 wickets in 13 matches at 17.65.
Apart from his express pace, Rabada is known for his wicket-taking ability and execution of toe-crushing yorkers. Much like the last few seasons, Rabada emerges as the purple cap contender once again.
3) Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav playing for DC (Source: Twitter)
Given how rare left-arm wrist spin is, it isn’t easy for batters to read them and play them accordingly, which makes Kuldeep Yadav a big threat to all the batters in the upcoming season of the IPL. With his style of bowling, he always keeps the batters guessing.
Ahead of the 2022 season, Kuldeep worked on his skills and reinvented himself as a proven wicket-taker once again in the IPL circuit after a couple of bad seasons. He featured for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 2022 edition of IPL and chinamen looked as good as he was in 2018.
The left-arm leg spinner played a total of 14 matches (14 innings) picking up 21 wickets at an economy of 8.43 runs per over. Kuldeep’s confidence is his USP. A confident Kuldeep heading to IPL 2023 makes him a top contender to finish the tournament as the highest wicket-taker.
2) Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan playing for GT (Source: Twitter)
The world's leading T20 leggie and one of the trump cards of Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan is certainly one of the most threatening spinners in the world, if not the best. The Titans spinner was one of the architects of Gujarat's title win last year, where he claimed a total of 19 wickets from 16 matches at an extraordinary economy rate of 6.59 runs per over, which is great in the T20 format.
Rashid's method is simple, he builds pressure with the dot balls and ends up getting wickets. Other bowlers of the team benefited as Rashid put pressure on the opposition batters. The spin wizard would look to bring his A-game into play in the 16th IPL edition and clinch the Purple Cap.
1) Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal playing for RR (Source: Twitter)
The current holder of the Purple Cap, Chahal has been a prominent figure in the IPL circuit. He has been quite magnificent in the toughest T20 tournament and has been a force to reckon with the ball in the middle phases of the innings. In his illustrious IPL career, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) leg-spinner has featured in 131 IPL matches, taking 166 wickets at an unbelievable economy rate of 7.61 runs per over. He owns three four-fers, a five-wicket haul, and a famous hat trick which he took last year.
Chahal finished the last season with 27 wickets to his name in 17 matches for the Royals and picked up the Purple Cap. Notably, this was his fourth IPL season with 20-plus wickets. This speaks volumes of his consistency with the ball. Often called the "Grand Master", Chahal was at the peak of his powers in the 2022 season of the cash-rich league.
Entering into his 11th season of the IPL, the RR spinner would look to replicate his previous season's heroics and keep the Purple Cap with him. If can do that, he will become only the second bowler after Bhuvneshwar Kumar to win the award in two consecutive seasons.
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