5 renowned bowlers who picked up just a single wicket in IPL 2025 ft. Anrich Nortje
The ongoing Indian Premier League has now entered its business phase with the playoffs and final remaining to be played. While there have been many top performers, some failed to make it big and entertain fans with their performances.
Several top bowlers who participated in the tournament this season ended with just one wicket to their name. All these players didn't play all of their respective teams' games, with some missing out due to team balance, while others owing to injuries. For some, the cricketing gods were just not kind enough.
In this piece, we take a look at five renowned bowlers who picked up just a single wicket in this season of the IPL:
#5 Nuwan Thushara
Sri Lankan seamer Nuwan Thushara finds his name on this list, but he is expected to feature in the playoffs for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and could add to his tally. Thushara did not get too many opportunities this season and picked up the wicket of Matthew Breetzke of Lucknow Super Giants in his only outing so far.
Thushara, who can bowl at any stage of the game, has some variations up his sleeve and has featured in 18 T20Is for Sri Lanka.
#4 Shahbaz Ahmed
Shahbaz Ahmed, who has played two T20Is and three ODIs for India, is one of the biggest names on this list. Turning out for Lucknow Super Giants, the left-arm spinner picked up just one wicket this season in three outings. He had a poor outing for Sunrisers Hyderabad last season as well, taking just seven wickets.
This year, while Ahmed was given opportunities against Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he could only break through against Gujarat. He played his first game of the tournament against Delhi on March 24, and had to wait for almost two months to get another chance, on May 22 against Gujarat.
#3 Mujeeb-ur-Rahman
Afghanistan mystery spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, quite strangely, finds himself on this list. He too picked up just one wicket, but played just one game as well. At first, Mujeeb was not a part of IPL 2025, but was signed as a replacement for Allah Ghazanfar by the Mumbai Indians (MI) later on.
Mujeeb played for MI against Gujarat Titans in the early stages of the tournament, conceding 28 runs in two overs and scalping Jos Buttler's wicket. After that, he was not selected in the playing XI even once by the MI team management; it remains to be seen if they select him in the playoffs.
The 24-year-old off-spinner does not have a lot of experience in the IPL, having last dipped his toe in the tournament in 2021 for a brief spell with the Sunrisers Hyderabad. He came into IPL 2025 on the back of a decent run with Paarl Royals in the SA20 League, where he picked up 14 wickets.
#2 Sam Curran
Sam Curran is another player who finds his name on this list. The Chennai Super Kings all-rounder played five matches for the franchise this season but ended up with just one wicket to his name. He went wicketless in the first four matches for CSK this year, who signed him for INR 4 crore in the auction, and broke his duck in his final game, against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
After the brief halt in the IPL owing to tensions at the India-Pakistan border, Curran, along with fellow Englishman Jamie Overton, did not return. Had he done so, perhaps he would have taken more wickets. In 2024, however, Curran was in golden form, picking up 16 wickets for Punjab Kings.
#1 Anrich Nortje
Anrich Nortje is probably the biggest name on this list. The South African speedster could pick up just one wicket in this tournament after playing two matches. Nortje was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders in the auction ahead of the season, but they could not utilize him fully owing to injuries.
KKR purchased Nortje for INR 6.50 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction, but unfortunately, the fast bowler sustained a back injury, which forced him to play just two matches. In 2024, Nortje plied his trade for Delhi Capitals, for whom he picked up seven wickets in six matches.