IPL 2021: 5 players who took a 4-wicket haul on IPL debut
IPL has become the number one T20 league in the world. Cricketers from across the world dream of being a part of this competition. Since it is the Indian Premier League, the playing XI of all teams comprises seven Indian players and four players from the rest of the world.
Some great Indian bowlers have participated in this tournament over the last 13 years. But interestingly, not a single Indian bowler has been able to scalp four or more wickets in his first IPL match. Meanwhile, five overseas bowlers have accomplished this unique feat to date.
Check out the list of players with most 4 wicket haul in IPL.
In this listicle today, we will look at the five players who took a four-wicket haul on their IPL debut.
1. Shoaib Akhtar, IPL 2008
Pakistani cricketers were part of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League in 2008. The Rawalpindi Express, Shoaib Akhtar, represented the Kolkata Knight Riders that season. Akhtar made his debut against the Delhi Capitals (then known as Delhi Daredevils) at Eden Gardens.
Batting first, the home team scored 133/6 in their 20 overs. Delhi had big names like Virender Sehwag, AB de Villiers, Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan and TM Dilshan in their lineup. However, a special bowling performance from Akhtar gave KKR a 23-run win. Akhtar dismissed Sehwag, Gambhir, de Villiers and Manoj Tiwary to complete his maiden four-wicket haul.
The Pakistani pace bowler was adjudged the Player of the Match for his magical spell of 4/11.
2. Kevon Cooper, IPL 2012
Caribbean all-rounder Kevon Cooper made an instant impact after joining the Rajasthan Royals in 2012. Making his debut against the Punjab Kings (then known as Kings XI Punjab), Cooper scored 11 runs off three deliveries and helped RR reach 191/4 after Ajinkya Rahane's 98-run knock.
Cooper then ran through Punjab's batting lineup. He sent Paul Valthaty, Shaun Marsh and Abhishek Nayar back to the pavilion in his first spell. Later in the inning, Cooper rattled Piyush Chawla's stumps to end the game with figures of 4/26.
3. David Wiese, IPL 2015
Unlike the first two names on this list, David Wiese's four-wicket haul on debut could not help his team win the match. Playing his first match for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Mumbai Indians in 2015, Wiese gave his 100% in both departments.
He picked up the wickets of Parthiv Patel, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma. The other bowlers could not support David much as MI ended with 209/7 in their 20 overs. In the second innings, Wiese top-scored for RCB with an unbeaten 25-ball 47*. However, RCB lost the match by 18 runs.
4. Andrew Tye, IPL 2017
Australian pacer Andrew Tye became the first bowler to take a five-wicket haul on IPL debut in 2017. He accomplished the feat while playing for Gujarat Lions against Rising Pune Supergiant at the SCA Stadium.
Tye bowled a dream spell of 5/17 on his debut, which also included a hat-trick. Rahul Tripathi, Ben Stokes, Manoj Tiwary, Shardul Thakur and Ankit Sharma (last 3 were part of the hat-trick) were Tye's first five scalps. His hat-trick kept RPS down to 171/8 in 20 overs. Gujarat won that game by seven wickets.
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5. Alzarri Joseph, IPL 2019
The last bowler to take a four-wicket haul on IPL debut was Alzarri Joseph. The Caribbean pacer joined Mumbai Indians as a replacement in 2019. He made his debut against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
MI batted first and scored 146 runs in their 20 overs. In reply, the home team could manage only 96 runs, courtesy of Alzarri Joseph's six-wicket haul. The right-arm pacer sent David Warner, Vijay Shankar, Deepak Hooda, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Siddarth Kaul back to the dressing room to help MI record a famous win.
Joseph also registered the best bowling figures in IPL history after his spell of 3.4-1-12-6.