Best Bowling Economy in IPL

There is absolutely no denying that the modern-day game favours the batsmen more. In an attempt to lure the fans, the governing body of the game has introduced several rules to ensure that batsmen often dominate the proceedings on the field.

The Indian Premier League or the IPL is not an exception either. Since its inaugural season, batsmen have usually maintained an upper hand during the IPL matches. The highly-skilled batsmen, flat pitches, shorter boundaries, powerplay, and a few other rules have made lives extremely difficult for the bowlers.

Modern-day batsmen hit even good deliveries for fours and sixes. So, there is very little room for error for the bowlers in today's game, especially in the IPL, where they regularly ace the best batsmen in the world

With the game slightly tilted in the batsmen's favour, it is not surprising that bowlers struggle to maintain a good economy-rate. Even the best in business are taken to the cleaners regularly in the IPL. On pitches that offer almost no assistance, the bowlers need to come up with something special to control the flow of runs.

While most of the bowlers have indeed struggled to make a big impact in the shortest format of the game as far as their economy is concerned, some bowlers have turned out to be exceptions. The bowlers have managed to maintain a good economy rate by relying on precise line and length, variations such as slow deliveries, and other strategies.

Bowlers who can bowl at a good economy rate are an asset for any team in the IPL. Such bowlers not only control the flow of runs but also create immense pressure on the opposition batsmen, which usually leads to wickets at crucial junctures.

The batsmen are forced to play risky shots and it usually costs them their wicket. Over the years, one has seen several bowlers making a huge impact with their miserly bowling in the IPL. Even in a format where batsmen hit fours and sixes for fun, these bowlers have managed to maintain an exemplary economy-rate.

The bowlers have shown that accuracy and strict discipline can make a big difference even in the smallest format of the game.

In the first season of the IPL, former Sri Lanka batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan had the best economy-rate among the bowlers who bowled at least one over. In the only over that he delivered in IPL 2008, Dilshan conceded only 3 runs while also picking up one wicket. He and Mumbai Indians' Dominic Thornely were the only bowlers to have an economy-rate of less than 6 in IPL 2008.

In the second season, Chennai Super Kings Ravichandran Ashwin had the best bowling economy in the IPL. He played only one match in the PL 2009 and made an instant impact. In the four overs he bowled, Ashwin conceded just 13 runs while also picking up a couple of wickets.

Ashwin and Kolkata Knight Riders' Charl Langeveldt were the only bowlers to have an economy-rate of less than 5 in IPL 2009. Langeveldt bowled 4 overs in IPL 2009 and gave away just 15 runs in addition to picking up 3 wickets.

Talking about the recent seasons, Nathan Ellis had the best bowling economy in IPL 2024 among the bowlers who bowled a minimum of four overs. The Australian pacer plied his trade for Punjab Kings and bowled 4 overs in the only game that he played. In that game, he conceded only 24 runs.

The likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Sunil Narine also enjoyed brilliant campaigns with the ball. Both the bowlers bowled more than 50 overs in IPL 2024 and maintained an economy-rate of less than 7.

The overall record of the best bowling economy in IPL is held by former Gujarat Lions bowler Nathu Singh (bowlers who have bowled a minimum of 24 deliveries in the IPL). Nathu bowled 4 overs in IPL 2017 and conceded only 15 runs.

The second spot is held by Mumbai Indians' Dominic Thornely who conceded only 40 runs in the 7 overs he delivered in IPL 2008.

The record for the best economical spell in a match is held by Dirk Nannes (bowlers who bowled at least one over). In IPL 2011, the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowled only one over and it was a maiden over.

For bowlers who bowled all the four overs in an IPL match, former West Indies pacer Fidel Edwards holds the record of the most economical spell. In IPL 2009, he had conceded only 6 runs in his 4 overs.