As years have gone by, cricket has turned into a batsmen friendly game. Just take a look at ODI cricket; earlier, a score of 200-250 runs would be hard to chase, but now batsmen aren’t satisfied after putting up 350 runs on the board because even that is chaseable. In T20 cricket, the batsmen have a considerable advantage because of how the format has been devised. Spinners are a special breed of bowlers. They are known to tempt batsmen to go after them, making the batsmen commit mistakes and fall into the spinners’ trap.
Since the inception of the IPL, many successful spinners have plied their trade in the money-minting league. Legends like Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan had a good couple of seasons before hanging their boots. Many Indian spinners like Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra are among the highest wicket-takers in IPL history. IPL has also seen some mystery spinners like Sunil Narine and Rashid Khan gain stardom.
Here, I take a look at 5 spinners to keep an eye on during the IPL campaign:
5. Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav kicks off this list, which might come as a surprise to a few readers. The Kanpur-born left-arm chinaman bowler is a part of a rare breed. He earned his chance in the blockbuster T20 league with the Kolkata Knight Riders after being on the Mumbai Indians bench in the 2012 season. He picked up 12 and 17 wickets in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and saw himself become a mainstay in the KKR bowling brigade.
Last year, he was smashed by Moeen Ali to all parts of the stadium. Kuldeep conceded 59 runs in his 4 overs quota and didn’t feature in the IPL after that match. He might have ended last season with just four wickets under his belt, but I have no doubts about returning with a bang this time around. With Piyush Chawla’s move to CSK, the onus is on Yadav to propel KKR to a spot in this year’s playoffs. Watch this space.
4. Mujeeb ur Rehman
Mujeeb ur Rehman Zadran is an Afghanistan teenager who has been in association with the Kings XI Punjab since 17. The talented off-spinner had a fruitful debut campaign with the Preity Zinta-owned side as he picked up 14 wickets at under 7 runs per over. His form took a turn for the worse last season as his game time was reduced to just 5 appearances due to the selection dilemma of 4 overseas.
Choosing him in this list over the likes of Narine and Tahir is a massive gamble, but I think if he features in 10-12 games in the league stage, he will trouble opposition batsmen. Moreover, he should be a part of the 4 overseas players due to Ashwin’s absence in the team this year, which leaves their Indian spin department slightly weak. There is no doubt that KXIP will rely on him heavily, and with Anil Kumble at the helm of coaching, the youngster has everything to gain.
3. Ravi Ashwin
This is another bold prediction. Ravi Ashwin is a valuable addition to Delhi Capitals this season. They were criticised for not having many experienced players, but Ashwin s the Delhi unit as a seasoned campaigner. One of the smartest cricketers in the current generation, Ashwin, has various ways of getting a batsman out (including mankading). His carrom ball remains a threat to this day, and his wicket-taking prowess will be on show this year.
Delhi Capitals can call upon a variety of spinners like Amit Mishra, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Axar Patel, but I am convinced that Ravichandran Ashwin will be instrumental for them in this IPL edition. During his IPL career, Ashwin has dismissed 125 batsmen at a miserly economy rate of 6.79. He has picked up a minimum of 10 wickets in each of his last 9 campaigns, which shows his consistency.
2. Yuzvendra Chahal
