5 bowlers with most maidens in IPL
There was a balance between bat and ball in cricket's early days when only the longer form of the game was prominent but as the game evolved the shorter formats were introduced. With the introduction of shorter formats, especially T20 cricket, there was a drastic shift in that balance. Eventually, modern-day cricket has become a batsman's game.
With the advent of T20 cricket, the mindset of the batsmen has changed completely. Modern-day batsmen are fearless - they innovate and take risks more often than not. Even the field restrictions employed in the powerplay overs are a setback for the bowlers as only a maximum of two fielders are allowed outside the circle during the first six overs of the innings and that allows the batsmen to score freely.
The batsmen just have to pierce the gap between the fielders in the 30-yard circle or just have to hit the ball over the fielder's head and he'll have a boundary. To make the game more watchable and interesting, flat wickets are served which further adds to the dominance of batsmen.
On such road-like tracks, sometimes defending a total of even 200+ runs becomes difficult for the bowling team. Such is the dominance of batsmen over bowlers in modern-day cricket.
In such conditions, every dot ball is gold. If a bowler ends up giving six or less than six an over, it is considered an excellent effort. On top of that, a maiden over is a rarity. There were many quality bowlers who excelled in such difficult situations and ended up gaining the upper hand in the batsman-friendly game on several occasions.
Let us have a look at the top 5 bowlers with most maidens in the world's mega T20 league.
#5 Dhawal Kulkarni: 7 Maidens
Mumbai's Dhawal Kulkarni has been a regular in the Indian Premier League since its inception in 2008 and has represented several franchises including Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Gujarat Lions. This season, the medium pacer will represent RCB for the eleventh edition of the IPL.
Kulkarni depends more on swing and shape of the ball to trouble the batsman and is known for his consistent line and length. He picked up 72 wickets in the 75 matches he has played so far in the IPL, and bowled 7 maidens thus far, and stands fifth in the list of bowlers with most maidens.