IPL 2021: Aakash Chopra picks his top 6 bowling performances of the tournament
![Harshal Patel scalped five wickets in the first encounter of IPL 2021 [P/C: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/05/82119-16202723413264-800.jpg?w=500)
Aakash Chopra has selected his top six bowling performances from the 29 matches played in IPL 2021 so far.
IPL 2021 was suspended after a few players and support staff members from some of the franchises tested positive for COVID-19. The prestigious tournament saw a couple of fifers and five four-wicket hauls before the suspension.
Speaking about some of the best spells of IPL 2021 in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra chose Harshal Patel's 5/27 in the tournament opener between RCB and MI as his top favorite.
"At No.1 is my favorite bowling performance of the season so far, I have picked Harshal Patel. It came in the first match against Mumbai (5/27). You have a four-over spell and there if you take five wickets, that too while coming at the end. He bowled very good slower ones and perfect yorkers," said Chopra.
Harpreet Brar's match-winning spell of 3/19 in the Punjab Kings' clash against the RCB was picked by the former Test opener as his second-best bowling performance of the tournament.
"Second on my list is Harpreet Brar. He took three wickets while giving 19 runs, but who were those three wickets. He conceded 10 runs in his first over and then a boundary off the first ball of his second over. And then you dismiss Kohli, Maxwell and AB de Villiers, which was the icing on the cake," stated Chopra.
At No 3 is Deepak Chahar's 4/13 against the Punjab Kings. Chahar dismissed Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran and Deepak Hooda to reduce PBKS to 26/5. Although the KL Rahul-led side managed to reach 106/8, CSK chased down the target with ease.
"At No.3, I have picked Deepak Chahar's 4/13 vs Punjab. First he dismissed Mayank Agarwal, it was an outstanding ball. After that he dismissed Chris Gayle and Hooda in his four wickets. It was game, set and match," observed Chopra.
Aakash Chopra's picks of the other 3 top bowling performances of IPL 2021
![Chris Morris is the only Rajasthan Royals bowler to take a 4-wicket haul in IPL 2021 [P/C: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/05/b4617-16202737353572-800.jpg)
Aakash Chopra picked Chris Morris' 4/23 against KKR as his fourth-best spell in IPL 2021.
"At No.4, I have kept Chris Morris' four-wicket spell against KKR while conceding just 23 runs. Kolkata is a dangerous team and Rajasthan did not have Jofra. So you keep looking towards Morris but will he bowl at the start, middle and then at the end. He did all of that," said Chopra.
Two performances from the same match, involving the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Mumbai Indians (MI), also made it the commentator’s list.
In Match 5 against Mumbai, Kolkata’s Andre Russell returned with figures of 5/15, the best performance of IPL 2021 to date. This got the former KKR player's vote for the fifth-best bowling performance of the tournament.
"At No.5 I have kept Andre Russell who took 5/15 against the Mumbai Indians, that too in two overs. He went round the stumps and kept bowling wide with the angle and dismissed everyone one by one," added Chopra.
Aakash Chopra signed off by choosing Rahul Chahar's 4/27, in the same match, which helped MI register a 10-run win, as another of his favorite bowling performances.
"At No.6, is the performance of Deepak's brother. It was in the same KKR vs MI match. KKR was not chasing a huge score and there Rahul Chahar took four wickets which included Eoin Morgan and Nitish Rana. Everyone was trying to play shots and getting stuck in his web," concluded Chopra.
KKR were in an advantageous position when Russell's five wickets helped them bowl out MI for just 152 runs. They seemed to be coasting home when their openers added 72 runs in less than nine overs, but Rahul Chahar dismissed their top four batsmen to change the complexion of the game.