5 most successful spinners in IPL history
The 11th Edition of IPL is now closer than ever, with just 10 days left before the start of the biggest T20 league in the world. With players from all over the world taking part in the league, IPL has, over the years, turned into one of the biggest sporting festivals in the world where the fans witness their favorite players play their best game. Once regarded as a league made especially for batsmen, IPL has seen a sudden increase in the performance graph of fast bowlers in recent times.
However, if there is one thing that has remained immutable ever since the first season back in 2008, it is the performance of the spinners. Perfectly exploiting the spinning conditions that the weather in the sub-continent provides, spinners have often turned out to be match winners for the franchises and would continue to do so in the future as well.
With a plethora of world-class spinners set to play in this season as well, we take a look at the 5 most successful spinners in the decade-long history of IPL.
#5 Sunil Narine
One of the main reasons for Kolkata Knight Riders' unimaginable success since 2012, Sunil Narine has been a constant presence in the KKR's lineup. Entering the season as the mystery weapon of the Gautam Gambhir-led side, Narine is still a hard nut to crack for the batsmen even after playing in the IPL for 6 years. Despite remodelling his bowling action after being reported multiple times through the years, Narine has continued to impress at every level of the game and is at his best when playing in the IPL.
In the six seasons that he has played so far in the IPL, Narine has played 82 matches, all for the Knight Riders, and has accounted for 95 dismissals of the opposition players. Along with the best bowling figures of 5/19 and a hat-trick in 2013, the Trinidadian has six other 4-wicket hauls to his name, which is more than any other player in the game. Narine boasts an exceptional economy of 6.33, an average of 21.37 and strike rate of 20.2, all of which are among the best in IPL history. Narine will again be part of KKR this season, and will surely be looking to add more wickets to his tally.