IPL 2019: 10 bowlers who can clock speeds over 150 kmph
The 12th edition of Indian Premier League starts in little over a couple of months. Auction for IPL 2019 happened in December and the eight franchises have made some good signings to strengthen their squad for the new season.
T20 cricket is all about excitement. The sight of balls flying everywhere and bowlers, with only 24 deliveries to bowl, steaming in every ball, makes the format a non-stop fun. With batsmen hitting the ball everywhere in batting friendly conditions in India, bowlers need a bit of extra pace to stop them.
IPL has witnessed some great overseas fast bowlers in the past with the likes of Mitchell Johnson, Dale Steyn, Shoaib Akhtar, Lasith Malinga, Brett Lee, and Mitchell Starc terrorizing the batsmen with searing pace and bounce. Young Indian seamers have also developed a penchant for pace and bowled some pacy deliveries in the past few IPL seasons.
Stats courtesy: https://www.iplt20.com/stats/2018/fastest-balls
On that note, let's take a look at the 10 fast bowlers who can clock speeds of 150+ kmph this season.
#10 Anrich Nortje, South Africa
The young South African seamer was a surprise buy in the 2019 IPL auction. The 25-year-old was an unknown quantity to many before the auction but got into the limelight at the right time, with some great performances in the 2018 Mzansi Super League.
Anrich Nortje caught the attention of Kolkata Knight Riders when he clocked speeds of 150km/h mark for Cape Town Blitz. He is definitely a player for the future.
#9 Avesh Khan, India
The 22-year-old seamer from Madhya Pradesh made the speed guns go crazy in IPL 2018. He bowled a couple of balls over 148 kmph and consistently clocked good speeds. In a game against Kolkata Knight Riders, one of his deliveries registered 149.12 kmph on the speed gun.
Surprisingly, he finished as the third fastest Indian seam bowler in IPL last season. At just 22, Avesh Khan will only get better and it would not come as a surprise if he breaks the 150 kmph mark in IPL 2019.