Predicting top 5 wicket-takers of IPL 2020 in UAE

The much-anticipated IPL 2020 is set to commence on 19th September, with the final taking place on November 8th, as confirmed by the IPL Governing Council Chairman, Brijesh Patel. Post government approval, the 13th edition of the cash-rich league will be held in the UAE.

The change in shift of the country – from India to UAE – poses a predicament for the franchises that made the picks in the auction based on their Indian home grounds. UAE has three venues where the matches may take place- Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah– which are all close by to each other.

UAE also hosted the first 20 matches of IPL 2014, and the event took place smoothly. The tracks in all the three venues are slow and low and in favour of bowlers. So, a score of even 160 could be considered par total and will be challenging to chase it down.

In cricket there is an old adage, “Batsman win you games, bowlers win you tournaments”. Therefore, the teams will occupy themselves with spin bowlers who can exploit the conditions very well and pacers who have multiple variations to keep the run-rate in check.

Here we look at bowlers who could be the top 5 wicket-takers of IPL 2020:

5. Deepak Chahar

Deepak Chahar, who was with MS Dhoni in the squad of Rising Pune Supergiant, was brought in by CSK. In IPL 2018, under MS Dhoni, Chahar emerged as one of the finest new-ball bowlers. The right-handed pacer bowled the majority of his overs in the powerplay and picked 10 wickets at an average of 27 and an economy of 7.28.

He was soon drafted into the national T20 side and in his second T20I against West Indies, he returned with figures of 3/4. The seamer dazzled everyone with his bowling in IPL 2019. Chahar, who was now also bowling in the death, picked up 22 wickets at an average of 21.91. The Agra born pacer recorded the best bowling figures in T20 Internationals when he took 6 wickets for 7 runs against Bangladesh in November last year.

Chahar can swing the new ball in both directions and has the slower ball, cutters, knuckleball at his disposal for the last stage of the innings. The 27-year-old is now a potent weapon for CSK and for the Indian team with the new ball and is almost certain to be a part of the national T20 side for any major tournament.

4. Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal is RCB’s all-time leading wicket-taker. The leggie has picked up 100 wickets at an economy of under 8 runs per over for the Bangalore based franchise. Chahal is canny, deceitful, and hence he is trusted by captain Virat Kohli to bowl in the power play as well.

He was the leading wicket-taker for his team last season as he scalped 18 wickets at a strike rate of 16.44. Chahal has shown a big heart and valiantly tosses up the ball, gives it plenty of flight in the air even on a small and high-scoring ground like M. Chinnaswamy. This has paid dividends for the leg-spinner. In Bangalore, Chahal has picked 51 wickets – an IPL record at the Chinnaswamy – with a best of 4/25.

In the 2014 IPL season, he was effective on the tracks of UAE wherein he picked 7 wickets at an average of 14. While the batting department of RCB – like always – is packed with heavyweights, the bowling contingent will hugely rely on the success of Yuzi Chahal, and so will Bangalore.

3. Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah has come by leaps and bounds from the day he made his debut for Mumbai Indians in 2013- with Virat Kohli being his maiden IPL wicket. From a skinny bowler with an awkward action, to now, the spearhead of the Indian team in all three formats, Bumrah has made tremendous strides as a fast bowler.

He is a world-class death bowler- arguably the best in the world. Bumrah’s knack of consistently bowling pinpoint yorkers is mind-boggling. According to cricmetric.com, Bumrah has taken 47 wickets in the last five overs in IPL at an economy of less than 9, which is laudable considering the Wankhede Stadium as his home ground. The Gujarat-born seamer has taken 15 or more wickets every season since 2016 for Mumbai Indians.

The 26-year-old has bowled four super overs in his career- two in the IPL and two at the international level- and his team won in each case. He was also the Man of the Match in the IPL final last year for his figures of 2/14 while defending a below-par score against a strong batting line-up of CSK. From pacy toe-crushing yorkers and hard length deliveries to slower bouncers and off-cutters, the right-arm pacer has plenty of missiles in his arsenal.

2. Imran Tahir

Even at the age of 41, Imran Tahir can outrun his teammates at the pace with which he celebrates his wickets. Tahir has been the premier spinner for South Africa in limited-overs cricket for a decade. He took retirement from the ODIs after the World Cup last year in England, culminating a glorious and exciting 50-over career. However, Tahir, who has two five-wicket hauls in T20 internationals, is to be available for T20Is for the national side.

The leggie joined CSK in 2018 and has been Dhoni’s triumph card, especially in away matches. Tahir not only was successful on the Chepauk pitch– which is a dry, slow rank turner and supports the spinners largely– he was also useful on flat tracks away from home. Though Chennai lost the final last year, the leg-spinner ran away with the Purple Cap as he collected 26 wickets at an economy of 6.7.

Dhoni has a plethora of spinners to choose from, but the Protea is almost certain to start every game. With the pitches getting slower as the tournament progresses in the UAE – even if not as sluggish as that at Chepauk – Tahir can once again end up as the leading wicket-taker in an IPL season.

1.Rashid Khan

The young leggie from the fields of Afghanistan has become a world sensation since his arrival in the IPL. Rashid Khan is the most sought after spinner in T20 leagues around the globe and has dominated their bowling charts. Rashid has a fast arm action but has the shrewdness of bowling with subtle variations- which makes it difficult to pick for the batter. His quick googlies and deceptive leg-breaks have flummoxed even the best of the batters.

In IPL, the leg-spinner has picked 17 or more wickets for each of the last three seasons with Sunrisers Hyderabad. Rashid was key for SRH in their run to the final in 2018 as he picked 21 wickets and was the second-highest wicket-taker that season. Overall, he has bagged 55 wickets in his IPL career at a miserly economy of 6.55.

Rashid is also in the elite list of five bowlers who have claimed three T20 hat-tricks. Against Ireland last year, he became the first bowler in T20Is to pick 4 wickets in 4 balls. He was the player of the series in the Afghanistan Premier League in 2018, which was played in the UAE. The 21-year-old has played plenty of cricket in the UAE and will thrive in those conditions.