IPL 2022: Top 5 death over specialists to watch out for
The forthcoming 15th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is just a day away and its excitement is at its zenith. The marquee event is regarded as the toughest T20 league in the world as it hosts top players from across the globe.
While modern-day cricket is slowly becoming a batter's game, the death overs (final four overs of an innings) are considered the most challenging for a T20 bowler. Opposition batters are well-set on most occasions, going helter-skelter and even trying innovative shots to score as many runs as they can.
Year after year, death bowlers, mainly pacers, fetch a high price at the auction, demonstrating how desperate teams are to address this critical issue. Bowling in death overs necessitates a high level of skill and a tough demeanor, as well as the ability to stay one step ahead of the hitters.
Since its inception in 2008, the IPL has seen some exceptional death bowlers who have played a pivotal part in their team's success. With another blockbuster season awaiting, we will look at five such death-ball specialist bowlers who you might not want to miss seeing in action.
On that note, let's look at five death-over specialist bowlers to watch out for during the upcoming IPL season.
Note: Overs 16-20 have been considered death overs here.
Honorable mention:
Shardul Thakur (Delhi Capitals)
Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders)
#5. T Natarajan (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
The IPL 2022 will mark left-arm pacer T Natarajan's comeback from an injury. The Tamil Nadu-born bowler wasn't retained by the Hyderabad-based franchise. However, the Orange Army brought Natarajan back into their team by signing him for ₹4 crore at the mega auction.
He missed the majority of IPL 2021 due to a knee injury. He later underwent surgery for the same, resulting in him to feature in just two games in the previous edition.
The 30-year old's breakout season came in 2020, where he picked up 16 wickets in as many games. David Warner mainly used Natarajan to bowl difficult overs, utilizing the left-armer's ability to bowl yorkers with ease.
Natarajan's economy of 8.02 in IPL 2020 went on to show that batters didn't find him easy to get away with. Now, after a long layoff, Natarajan will be eager to put on an impressive show for SRH.
#4. Chris Jordan (Chennai Super Kings)
England's white-ball specialist Chris Jordan was picked up by the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the mega auction for ₹3.60 crore. The Barbados-born has been part of several IPL franchises including Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), SRH and Punjab Kings (PBKS).
CHAMPION BROTHERS!🥳💛
Designed by @VdyLijesh
#WhistlePodu #Bravo #ChrisJordan https://t.co/71xUmMeCjY
An amazing athlete and a brilliant outfielder, Jordan isn't specifically a new-ball bowler. He often bowls in the middle overs and is considered a death o-ver expert because of his vast experience in the T20 game.
Without Shardul Thakur and Josh Hazlewood, CSK are a bit short of premier death bowlers. That's where Jordan comes in as a more than handy option for new skipper Ravindra Jadeja.
The right-armer has a great variety of slower balls and can even surprise a batter with a searing bouncer. Aside from bowling in the second half of an innings, Jordan can even smack some big blows with the bat, if required.