Top 5 bowling performances of IPL 2024 ft. Mitchell Starc
IPL 2024 is done and dusted. Kolkata Knight Riders emerged as the champions of the tournament, defeating the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final. KKR and SRH were the two best teams in the competition, but the final proved to be a lopsided affair, where KKR destroyed SRH.
The IPL 2024 season was once again a celebration of MS Dhoni's career as he received massive cheers wherever he played across the country. The season will also be remembered for Royal Challengers Bengaluru's comeback, who fought back from the 10th position after the first half to qualify for the playoffs.
Another thing that fans will remember about IPL 2024 was the aggressive batting. SRH and KKR crossed the 250-run mark on multiple occasions this season, while Punjab Kings made history by chasing down a 262-run target.
It was not the best season for bowlers, but there were a few who stood out. Here's a list of the five best bowling performances of the season.
#1 Mitchell Starc - 3/34 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, IPL 2024 Qualifier 1
Many fans trolled Kolkata Knight Riders when they splurged an enormous sum of ₹24.75 crore to acquire Mitchell Starc at the auction. Starc could not justify his massive price tag in the first half of the tournament.
However, KKR backed him, and he delivered when it mattered the most. KKR were up against SRH in Qualifier 1, and they needed to get rid of the dangerous Travis Head early at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Starc cleaned him up on the second ball of the match.
Next, Starc dismissed an in-form Nitish Reddy caught out before rattling Shahbaz Ahmed's stumps. SRH were reduced to 39/4 in five overs. KKR won that game comfortably by eight wickets in the end, and Starc won the Man of the Match award.
#2 Mitchell Starc - 2/14 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, IPL 2024 Final
Starc features once again on this list. This time, for his incredible spell in the final. The reason why this spell is second is because the conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium were slightly more challenging for batting than Qualifier 1 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Nevertheless, KKR had to stop Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head from getting into destruction mode. Head seemed a little weary of Starc and did not take strike. Young Abhishek played three dot balls before taking two runs off the fourth ball. On the next delivery, Starc cleaned him up with a peach.
Starc then dismissed Rahul Tripathi, who scored a fifty against KKR in Qualifier 1. He bowled three overs and finished with 2/14, winning the Man of the Match award once again.
#3 Sandeep Sharma - 5/18 vs Mumbai Indians, Match 38 of IPL 2024
Sandeep Sharma had the best bowling figures in an innings in IPL 2024. The right-arm pacer returned with stunning figures of 5/18 for Rajasthan Royals against Mumbai Indians at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium.
Sharma dismissed Ishan Kishan caught behind in his first over, and then got rid of Suryakumar Yadav in his next over. Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera brought MI back into the game with a 99-run partnership.
Trent Boult broke the partnership by dismissing Wadhera, and then Sharma came back to dismiss Varma, Tim David and Gerald Coetzee in quick succession. MI scored 179/9 and RR chased it down in 18.4 overs with just one wicket down. Sharma deservedly won the Man of the Match award.
#4 Jasprit Bumrah - 5/21 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Match 25 of IPL 2024
Jasprit Bumrah narrowly missed out on the Purple Cap award this year. The right-arm pacer bowled a magnificent spell of 5/21 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede Stadium.
Bumrah first dismissed Virat Kohli caught out for just three runs. Next, he dismissed RCB's top-scorer Faf du Plessis caught out, followed by the scalps of Saurav Chauhan, Mahipal Lomror and Vijaykumar Vyshak. Almost 400 runs were scored in that game but Bumrah conceded just 21 runs in four overs while taking five wickets.
#5 R Sai Kishore - 4/33 vs Punjab Kings, Match 37 of IPL 2024
Left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore has been one of the top performers in domestic cricket for Tamil Nadu, but he has not had consistent opportunities to play in the IPL. Gujarat Titans have given him a few chances here and there, and his best performance came against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur.
PBKS had stolen a win from the jaws of defeat against GT in their first meeting at the Narendra Modi Stadium, with Ashutosh Sharma and Shashank Singh being the heroes. Sai Kishore was not a part of that game, but when he played in Mullanpur, he dismissed both of them cheaply.
After rattling Jitesh Sharma's stumps, he got rid of Ashutosh caught out for just three runs before sending Shashank back by taking a catch off his own bowling when he was on eight. Harpreet Brar raced to 29 off 12, but Sai Kishore dismissed him caught out to end with figures of 4/33 and win the Man of the Match award.