Most expensive bowling spells in IPL from 2008 to 2025

Cricket is ideally a battle between bat and ball but with time, the game has favoured the batters more, and even fans have showered their love over batters when they hit the bowlers out of the park on a consistent basis rather than cheering a bowler for an aggressive spell in the middle or for containing the batter from hitting freely.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
With the modern-day rules and stadium dimensions giving batters the freedom to hit all around the park, bowlers feel the heat to come out with performances that could get them some say in the game.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
However, the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IPL</a> has seen more high-scoring games than low-scoring games and even big scores have been chased down with ease and overs to spare. In between all this madness, the bowlers were being punished even when they bowled good balls and welcomed some unwanted expensive spells to their names.
<hr>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">Here's a look at the 6 most expensive bowling spells of the IPL:</h3>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">6. Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 0/66 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (2019)</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/featureimage/2018/04/Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman-1.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
Mujeeb Ur Rahman, the youngest to take a five-wicket haul in ODIs, got the taste of IPL’s power hitters when <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-previews/ipl-2023-match-29-csk-vs-srh-preview-playing-xi-live-streaming-details-updates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SRH</a> locked horns with Kings XI Punjab (now PBKS) in the 48th match of the 2019 edition of IPL. The match was played at Hyderabad and everyone was hopeful for a spinner-friendly pitch. KXIP played with three spinners and the duo of R. Ashwin and M. Ashwin conceded 62 runs with three wickets in their combined share of eight overs.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
However, Mujeeb couldn’t hit the right areas and was targeted by the SRH batters in their first innings. Mujeeb started on an expensive note, and in the two overs he bowled in the powerplay, he conceded 28 runs. Mujeeb looked clueless and struggled to spin the bowl like his counterparts and remained wicketless till his 3rd over which conceded 12 runs and took his figures to 40 runs in 3 overs.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
The bowling figures which already looked ugly got even worse when his Afghanistan teammate, Mohd. Nabi and Kane Williamson smashed the bowler for three sixes and a four in the 18th over and Mujeeb returned with a figure of 0/66 in his share of four over. It turned out to be a rather ordinary night for the spinner, who was still young and learning.<o:p></o:p>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">5. Ishant Sharma | 0/66 vs Chennai Super Kings (2013)</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1681976767650_Ishant-Sharma.jpeg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
Ishant Sharma has been considered a senior fast bowler who can contain the batter from scoring runs and bowl economical spells which help to keep the score down. Ishant has been a consistent performer in the red-ball setup, however, his white-ball journey, especially IPL, has been a bit topsy-turvy. In the 93 matches he has played, Ishant has picked up 73 wickets and has an economy rate of 8.12.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
In 2013, Ishant Sharma, however, was responsible for the most expensive over (till then) in IPL, conceding 66 runs in his three overs, an unwanted record that stayed with him for 5 years. The tall fast bowler was taken to the cleaners when the CSK batters went full throttle on him. Murali Vijay started the assault by hitting Ishant for three consecutive sixes in his second over. Things got worse when Mr. IPL (<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/he-is-a-dangerous-batter-suresh-raina-lauds-nicholas-poorans-explosive-knock-against-rcb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Suresh Raina)</a> unleashed his beast mode and hit the bowler for 25 runs in the 17th over.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
Ishant was left clueless that day by the aggressive style of the CSK batters. The expensive spell helped CSK post a total of 223/3 in their share of 20 overs and Raina, who was adjudged the man of the match, finished with a score of 99*. The struggle to hit the right areas in a home match against CSK, handed a heavy defeat to SRH by 77 runs.<o:p></o:p>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">4. Yash Dayal | 0/69 vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2023)</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1681396140090_Yash-Dayal.jpeg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
The left-arm pacer from Uttar Pradesh had a good start to the IPL last year with the champions, Gujarat Titans. The fast bowler was given a consistent run in the team and he repaid the faith by bowling economical spells and by taking crucial wickets in the initial overs. A good left-arm pacer is always an advantage and can make batters look like amateur players with their sharp inswingers. <o:p></o:p>
A consistent last season did make him a starter in the 2023 season of the IPL for the defending champions, however, the bowler seemed a bit off-colour in the three matches he played, and his confidence was dented nig time when the unthinkable happened in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
Yash Dayal had figures of 0/38 when he was given the final over to defend 29 of 6 balls. The commentators and fans thought it to be a formality as it seemed impossible that a bowler could concede 5 sixes in the final over. But Rinku Singh did the unthinkable. He smashed Dayal for five consecutive sixes to get his side home and handed a defeat to Gujarat Titans. Dayal ended with figures of 0/69 of 4 overs. and it stands as the second most expensive bowling spell in the history of IPL.
<o:p></o:p>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">3. Basil Thampi | 0/70 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (2018)</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1677666687946_Basil-Thampi.jpeg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
Basil Thampi was praised for hitting the right lengths and showing discipline while bowling. And this discipline helped him get noticed by many IPL franchises and he got his first break in the 2017 edition of IPL by debuting for Gujarat Lions under the leadership of Suresh Raina.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
The fast bowler from Kerala was representing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2018 in a game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) when he overtook an unwanted record previously held by Ishant Sharma. Playing against RCB at Chinnaswamy is always a challenge for the opposition team and the bowlers usually feel the heat of getting hit for runs by the star-studded lineup of RCB. 
<o:p></o:p>Coming to bowl in the 8th over Moeen Ali took a special liking towards Thampi and smashed him for 19 runs off the first over. After an expensive start, it is always tough for a bowler to make a comeback in the match and the bowling figures really went off the roof when Colin de Grandhomme and Sarfaraz Khan gave the finishing touch to the innings, leaving Thampi with a not-so-wanted record of giving away the most runs in the history of IPL. He ended up with the figures of 0/70 in 4 overs.

<h3 class="MsoNormal">2. Mohammed Shami | 0/75 vs Punjab Kings (2025)</h3>
<figure class="image" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1742738285041_Mohammed-Shami.jpeg" alt="Mohammed Shami." width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption>Mohammed Shami. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
The match between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) featured one of veteran pacer Mohammed Shami's most costly spells in IPL history, making it a dismal performance. &nbsp;The SRH batsmen dominated Shami, who is renowned for his disciplined line and ability to attack at key times. He let up an incredible 75 runs in his four overs without taking a single wicket. &nbsp;The Hyderabad batters targeted him fiercely from the off, rendering his typically sharp yorkers and deceptive variations useless. &nbsp;Early in the innings, PBKS was under tremendous strain as boundaries were hitting freely in each over.
This achievement is noteworthy for the circumstances surrounding it as well as its statistical significance. &nbsp;Shami's costly session seriously hindered Punjab Kings' intentions in a high-stakes match where every run counted, enabling SRH to amass an enormous total. &nbsp;Against a formidable SRH batting lineup, the seasoned bowler, who is frequently a go-to choice in both powerplay and death overs, appeared out of rhythm and was unable to carry out his intentions. Shami had a rare off day, and the PBKS team will probably examine it closely as they try to recover in the next games.
<h3 class="MsoNormal"> 1. Jofra Archer&nbsp;| 0/76 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (2025)</h3>
<figure class="image align-center" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1742732216090_Jofra-Archer.jpeg" alt="Jofra Archer." width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<figcaption data-qb-tmp-id="lt-236629" data-gramm="false">Jofra Archer. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
During the second match of the IPL 2025 played between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/jofra-archer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jofra Archer</a> delivered a rather uncharacteristically expensive bowling spell. Notably, the pacer conceded 76 runs in his allotted four-over quota. Moreover, he remained wicketless while enduring the onslaught by SRH batters. As a result, Archer ended up claiming the unwanted record of the most expensive bowling spell in IPL history. He surpassed Basil Thampi to etch his name in history books.
Not just that, apart from him other bowlers looked lacklustre and proved expensive. So much so that SRH ended up making their second-highest team total in the league's history. on the back of Ishan Kishan's maiden unbeaten IPL century (106* off 47 balls) in his first appearance for SRH, they just missed by a whisker as they finished with 286 runs on the board. The highest total so far has been 287 which was set by none other than the Hyderabad franchise.

Cricket is ideally a battle between bat and ball but with time, the game has favoured the batters more, and even fans have showered their love over batters when they hit the bowlers out of the park on a consistent basis rather than cheering a bowler for an aggressive spell in the middle or for containing the batter from hitting freely.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
With the modern-day rules and stadium dimensions giving batters the freedom to hit all around the park, bowlers feel the heat to come out with performances that could get them some say in the game.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
However, the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IPL</a> has seen more high-scoring games than low-scoring games and even big scores have been chased down with ease and overs to spare. In between all this madness, the bowlers were being punished even when they bowled good balls and welcomed some unwanted expensive spells to their names.
<hr>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">Here's a look at the 6 most expensive bowling spells of the IPL:</h3>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">6. Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 0/66 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (2019)</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/featureimage/2018/04/Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman-1.jpg" alt="" width="640" loading="lazy">
Mujeeb Ur Rahman, the youngest to take a five-wicket haul in ODIs, got the taste of IPL’s power hitters when <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-previews/ipl-2023-match-29-csk-vs-srh-preview-playing-xi-live-streaming-details-updates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SRH</a> locked horns with Kings XI Punjab (now PBKS) in the 48th match of the 2019 edition of IPL. The match was played at Hyderabad and everyone was hopeful for a spinner-friendly pitch. KXIP played with three spinners and the duo of R. Ashwin and M. Ashwin conceded 62 runs with three wickets in their combined share of eight overs.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
However, Mujeeb couldn’t hit the right areas and was targeted by the SRH batters in their first innings. Mujeeb started on an expensive note, and in the two overs he bowled in the powerplay, he conceded 28 runs. Mujeeb looked clueless and struggled to spin the bowl like his counterparts and remained wicketless till his 3rd over which conceded 12 runs and took his figures to 40 runs in 3 overs.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
The bowling figures which already looked ugly got even worse when his Afghanistan teammate, Mohd. Nabi and Kane Williamson smashed the bowler for three sixes and a four in the 18th over and Mujeeb returned with a figure of 0/66 in his share of four over. It turned out to be a rather ordinary night for the spinner, who was still young and learning.<o:p></o:p>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">5. Ishant Sharma | 0/66 vs Chennai Super Kings (2013)</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1681976767650_Ishant-Sharma.jpeg" alt="" width="640" loading="lazy">
Ishant Sharma has been considered a senior fast bowler who can contain the batter from scoring runs and bowl economical spells which help to keep the score down. Ishant has been a consistent performer in the red-ball setup, however, his white-ball journey, especially IPL, has been a bit topsy-turvy. In the 93 matches he has played, Ishant has picked up 73 wickets and has an economy rate of 8.12.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
In 2013, Ishant Sharma, however, was responsible for the most expensive over (till then) in IPL, conceding 66 runs in his three overs, an unwanted record that stayed with him for 5 years. The tall fast bowler was taken to the cleaners when the CSK batters went full throttle on him. Murali Vijay started the assault by hitting Ishant for three consecutive sixes in his second over. Things got worse when Mr. IPL (<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/he-is-a-dangerous-batter-suresh-raina-lauds-nicholas-poorans-explosive-knock-against-rcb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Suresh Raina)</a> unleashed his beast mode and hit the bowler for 25 runs in the 17th over.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
Ishant was left clueless that day by the aggressive style of the CSK batters. The expensive spell helped CSK post a total of 223/3 in their share of 20 overs and Raina, who was adjudged the man of the match, finished with a score of 99*. The struggle to hit the right areas in a home match against CSK, handed a heavy defeat to SRH by 77 runs.<o:p></o:p>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">4. Yash Dayal | 0/69 vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2023)</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1681396140090_Yash-Dayal.jpeg" alt="" width="640" loading="lazy">
The left-arm pacer from Uttar Pradesh had a good start to the IPL last year with the champions, Gujarat Titans. The fast bowler was given a consistent run in the team and he repaid the faith by bowling economical spells and by taking crucial wickets in the initial overs. A good left-arm pacer is always an advantage and can make batters look like amateur players with their sharp inswingers. <o:p></o:p>
A consistent last season did make him a starter in the 2023 season of the IPL for the defending champions, however, the bowler seemed a bit off-colour in the three matches he played, and his confidence was dented nig time when the unthinkable happened in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
Yash Dayal had figures of 0/38 when he was given the final over to defend 29 of 6 balls. The commentators and fans thought it to be a formality as it seemed impossible that a bowler could concede 5 sixes in the final over. But Rinku Singh did the unthinkable. He smashed Dayal for five consecutive sixes to get his side home and handed a defeat to Gujarat Titans. Dayal ended with figures of 0/69 of 4 overs. and it stands as the second most expensive bowling spell in the history of IPL.
<o:p></o:p>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">3. Basil Thampi | 0/70 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (2018)</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1677666687946_Basil-Thampi.jpeg" alt="" width="640" loading="lazy">
Basil Thampi was praised for hitting the right lengths and showing discipline while bowling. And this discipline helped him get noticed by many IPL franchises and he got his first break in the 2017 edition of IPL by debuting for Gujarat Lions under the leadership of Suresh Raina.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>
The fast bowler from Kerala was representing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2018 in a game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) when he overtook an unwanted record previously held by Ishant Sharma. Playing against RCB at Chinnaswamy is always a challenge for the opposition team and the bowlers usually feel the heat of getting hit for runs by the star-studded lineup of RCB. 
<o:p></o:p>Coming to bowl in the 8th over Moeen Ali took a special liking towards Thampi and smashed him for 19 runs off the first over. After an expensive start, it is always tough for a bowler to make a comeback in the match and the bowling figures really went off the roof when Colin de Grandhomme and Sarfaraz Khan gave the finishing touch to the innings, leaving Thampi with a not-so-wanted record of giving away the most runs in the history of IPL. He ended up with the figures of 0/70 in 4 overs.

<h3 class="MsoNormal">2. Mohammed Shami | 0/75 vs Punjab Kings (2025)</h3>
<figure class="image"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1742738285041_Mohammed-Shami.jpeg" alt="Mohammed Shami." loading="lazy">
<figcaption>Mohammed Shami. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
The match between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) featured one of veteran pacer Mohammed Shami's most costly spells in IPL history, making it a dismal performance. &nbsp;The SRH batsmen dominated Shami, who is renowned for his disciplined line and ability to attack at key times. He let up an incredible 75 runs in his four overs without taking a single wicket. &nbsp;The Hyderabad batters targeted him fiercely from the off, rendering his typically sharp yorkers and deceptive variations useless. &nbsp;Early in the innings, PBKS was under tremendous strain as boundaries were hitting freely in each over.
This achievement is noteworthy for the circumstances surrounding it as well as its statistical significance. &nbsp;Shami's costly session seriously hindered Punjab Kings' intentions in a high-stakes match where every run counted, enabling SRH to amass an enormous total. &nbsp;Against a formidable SRH batting lineup, the seasoned bowler, who is frequently a go-to choice in both powerplay and death overs, appeared out of rhythm and was unable to carry out his intentions. Shami had a rare off day, and the PBKS team will probably examine it closely as they try to recover in the next games.
<h3 class="MsoNormal"> 1. Jofra Archer&nbsp;| 0/76 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (2025)</h3>
<figure class="image align-center"><img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1742732216090_Jofra-Archer.jpeg" alt="Jofra Archer." loading="lazy"><qb-highlighter contenteditable="false" style="display: none;"><qb-div spellcheck="false" class="qb-highlighter__wrapper" style="width: 640px !important; height: 22.3906px !important; transform: none !important; transform-origin: 320px 11.1953px !important; zoom: 1 !important; margin-top: 410.391px !important;"><qb-div class="qb-highlighter__scroll-element" style="top: 0px !important; left: 0px !important; width: 640px !important; height: 22px !important;"></qb-div></qb-div></qb-highlighter>
<figcaption data-qb-tmp-id="lt-236629" spellcheck="false" data-gramm="false">Jofra Archer. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)</figcaption>
</figure>
During the second match of the IPL 2025 played between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/jofra-archer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jofra Archer</a> delivered a rather uncharacteristically expensive bowling spell. Notably, the pacer conceded 76 runs in his allotted four-over quota. Moreover, he remained wicketless while enduring the onslaught by SRH batters. As a result, Archer ended up claiming the unwanted record of the most expensive bowling spell in IPL history. He surpassed Basil Thampi to etch his name in history books.
Not just that, apart from him other bowlers looked lacklustre and proved expensive. So much so that SRH ended up making their second-highest team total in the league's history. on the back of Ishan Kishan's maiden unbeaten IPL century (106* off 47 balls) in his first appearance for SRH, they just missed by a whisker as they finished with 286 runs on the board. The highest total so far has been 287 which was set by none other than the Hyderabad franchise.<qb-div style="all: initial !important;"></qb-div>

Cricket is ideally a battle between bat and ball but with time, the game has favoured the batters more, and even fans have showered their love over batters when they hit the bowlers out of the park on

5 Most Expensive Bowling Spells in the History of IPL

There have been several instances of bowlers registering their names in an unwanted records list of conceding the most runs in four overs of a T20 game.

Check out the most expensive bowling spells in IPL from 2008 to 2025, including overs, runs and more stats only on CricTracker.Com