The 17th edition of IPL 2024 was tough for bowlers. Many matches saw teams scoring over 200 runs, with some even going past 220. This was unusual, and it happened more than seven times where teams scored over 240 runs, a record for the league. The pitches were flat and didn’t help the bowlers much throughout most of the tournament.
Towards the end, in the last 20 matches, bowlers performed better. As the pitches slowed down, batting became harder. But for most of the tournament, bowlers found it tough to stay competitive. Despite this, a few bowlers stood out with excellent performances, gaining recognition for their teams. Some took many wickets, while others were economical, although not many managed both.
Here are the top 10 bowlers of the season:
10. Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel took the most wickets in the 17th season, winning the Purple Cap for the second time in the league’s history. He got 24 wickets with an average of under 20 runs per wicket. He was especially effective at the end of matches, often controlling the run rate by himself. Even though Punjab Kings didn’t reach the Playoffs, Harshal Patel was their standout player, proving his worth despite being an expensive buy at the auction.
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9. Trent Boult
Trent Boult, who is known for taking wickets right from the start, continued to show his skills this season. The New Zealand fast bowler performed exceptionally well in several games. His knack for getting early wickets was a key factor in Rajasthan Royals reaching the top four. During the 17th edition, Boult took 16 wickets with an impressive economy rate of 8.30. His best bowling figures of 3/22 also earned him the Player of the Match award.
8. T Natarajan
T Natarajan was excellent at bowling towards the end of matches this season. As a bowler for Sunrisers Hyderabad, he was very accurate with where he placed the ball, which helped prevent the other team from scoring many runs. Natarajan took the most wickets for his team and played a crucial part in getting his team to the finals against Kolkata Knight Riders. Even though Sunrisers Hyderabad came second in the tournament, Natarajan himself took 19 wickets. On average, he allowed 24.47 runs per wicket, and his economy rate was a respectable 9.05 runs per over by the end of the season.
7. Harshit Rana
Harshit Rana was in the news for many controversies during the 2024 season. Despite this, he played well for the KKR team, who won the title. He took 19 wickets in 11 matches, which was important for the team’s success. Rana’s economy rate was 9.08, and he had an average of 20.15, showing how effective he was.
6. Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins was bought by SRH for a huge amount of INR 20.50 crore, a record price. As captain, he performed well and also played excellently, helping the team win matches. He took 18 wickets in 16 matches and was the second-highest wicket-taker for SRH in the 2024 season.
5. Varun Chakravarthy
One of the few spinners in this group is Varun Chakravarthy, who bowls leg-spin for KKR. In 2024, he bounced back after a not-so-good season before. He took 21 wickets in 14 matches and had one of the lowest averages of the season. Chakravarthy was KKR’s top wicket-taker and the second-highest overall, after Patel from Punjab.
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4. Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav was in great form before IPL 2024. He had done well in international matches and brought his best skills to Delhi Capitals. In 11 matches, the left-arm spinner bowled exceptionally, even in tough conditions. Despite Delhi Capitals not qualifying, Kuldeep’s bowling was a highlight for the team.
3. Andre Russell
Andre Russell, famous for hitting big sixes, also bowled well this year for KKR. His right-arm fast bowling helped KKR win many games. Despite giving away more than 10 runs per over, he took 19 wickets and broke important partnerships, showing his value to the Knight Riders team.
2. Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine, a fellow all-rounder from the Caribbean like Russell, played a crucial role beyond his excellent bowling. Despite pacers taking most of the wickets, Narine, with his vast experience, showed how he could change the game whenever needed. He took 17 wickets, but what really helped the champions was his incredibly low economy rate of just 6.69 runs per over.
1. Jasprit Bumrah
In the 2024 season, Mumbai Indians didn’t play as well as they could have, but Jasprit Bumrah still performed brilliantly as usual. Even though the team finished last in the points table, Bumrah took 20 wickets in 13 matches, including a five-wicket haul.
Other bowlers didn’t support him enough, and the batting also didn’t perform very well. Despite this, Bumrah’s good form is encouraging for the Indian team.
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