IPL 2023: Top 5 Bowling Spells Of The Tournament

image-lia6m7gjGujarat emerged to be the best bowling team of IPL 2023 (AP Photo)

After witnessing plenty of nail-biting fixtures, we finally got Chennai Super Kings as the winner of the sixteenth Indian Premier League season. The tournament, which enthralled everyone with its dramatic twists and turns for over two months, saw several exceptional individual performances grabbing a billion eyeballs. While some breathtaking knocks set the stage on fire, some stupendous bowling spells received applause from all corners of the world. 

As the IPL 2023 has marked its conclusion, here we list the best five bowling spells of the showpiece event. 


5) Naveen-ul-Haq 4/38 vs MI

image-li8qspmzNaveen-ul-Haq celebrating a dismissal [Source: AP]

The IPL 2023 will certainly be a memorable one for Naveen-ul-Haq, who became a household name in India following his on-field verbal spat with legendary batter Virat Kohli. Due to the controversy, the young seamer from Afghanistan received a lot of flak wherever he went and desperately needed a stunning performance to silence his critics. 

His destiny finally smiled at Naveen as his moment of glory came in the all-important eliminator against Mumbai Indians. The LSG pacer derailed the mighty batting unit of MI through a sensational four-wicket haul, comprising prized scalps of Rohit Sharma, Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma. The way he knocked over Green right after deceiving Yadav with a magical slower ball spoke volumes about his incredible skill set. 


4) Mohammed Shami 4/11 vs DC

image-li8qu4d4Mohammed Shami starred with the ball for GT [Source: AP]

Mohammed Shami enjoyed stellar success in the IPL 2023, emerging as the Titans' go-to man with the ball, especially in the powerplay. Although the veteran Indian seamer had several impressive outings in the tournament, his four-fer against Delhi Capitals earned massive accolades due to its sheer impact on the opposition. 

The surface in Ahmedabad had just enough on it for the seamers, and Shami left no stone unturned to exploit it. 

After dismissing Phil Salt on the very first delivery, the speedster from Bengal bowled three magical deliveries to remove Rilee Rossouw, Manish Pandey and Priyam Garg in quick succession. Riding on his heroics, Gujarat Titans restricted DC to a paltry 130 before a batting collapse led them to a five-run defeat.


3) Yuzvendra Chahal 4/25 vs KKR

image-li8qv4zhYuzvendra Chahal bowled a fabulous spell vs KKR [Source: AP]

Experienced Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal had a clinical IPL 2023 campaign, scalping 21 wickets in 14 matches at a healthy strike rate of 15.10. Although he had a few memorable outings, a spectacular four-fer against KKR was the best among the lot, as it secured a much-needed win for Rajasthan Royals. 

After Trent Boult provided RR with a dream start, Chahal weaved his magic in the middle overs to ensure a sub-par score for KKR. He recorded outstanding figures of four for 25, dismissing Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh and Shardul Thakur and restricting KKR to 149, which RR chased comfortably inside 14 overs. 


2) Akash Madhwal 4/37 vs SRH

image-li8qwe0xAkash Madhwal scalped four wickets vs SRH [Source: AP]

Akash Madhwal emerged as a huge positive for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023, claiming 14 wickets in eight matches at a brilliant strike rate of 10.93. The young seamer rose to prominence following an exceptional outing against Sunrisers Hyderabad, as he scalped four wickets to seal a clinical win for his side. 

SRH got off to a dream start, courtesy of a mammoth opening stand between Vivrant Sharma and Mayank Agarwal. However, Madhwal rescued MI from a precarious position by dismissing these two set batters. He followed it by cleaning up Heinrich Klaasen and Harry Brook, ensuring an under-par finish for SRH in this process. His valiant efforts restricted SRH to 200, which MI chased successfully, riding on a belligerent ton from Cameron Green. 


1) Mark Wood 5/14 vs DC

image-li8qzgflMark Wood in action [Source: IPLT20.com]

Plenty of spectacular bowling spells were witnessed in the tournament. Still, Mark Wood's fabulous fifer against Delhi Capitals should top the list, as it had everything- swing, seam and most importantly, searing pace. 

Regarded as one of the fastest bowlers of this generation, Wood derailed the Capitals through an incredible spell of seam bowling. 

First, he castled Prithvi Shaw and Mitchell Marsh by two stunning in-dippers and followed it by removing Sarfaraz Khan, Axar Patel and Chetan Sakariya to claim a fifer. His spell tormented Capitals, who finished on 143, incurring a heavy 50-run defeat.