Dwayne Bravo recently retired from IPL. The West Indian has left the tournament on a high as the leading wicket-taker in the competition. It was only recently that Bravo overtook Lasith Malinga on the list. The right-arm medium-pacer took 183 wickets in 161 matches. His record, though, is definitely not safe. We might witness this getting beaten as early as IPL 2023. On that note, here, we take a look at four bowlers who can beat Dwayne Bravo as the leading wicket-taker of the IPL.
Note: The stats are as of the end of IPL 2022.
1) Yuzvendra Chahal
Matches: 131 || Wickets: 166 || Economy: 7.61
The Indian leg-spinner is one player who can break Bravo’s record in the next season. Chahal is just 16 wickets away from toppling Bravo. He picked up the Purple Cap last season and if the Rajasthan Royals cricketer has a similar season, he can be at the top of the list in 2023.
Chahal has done well in the Chinnaswamy Stadium, which is considered a graveyard for bowlers. Moreover, he has taken most wickets in the middle overs, thereby having a direct impact on the game. Chahal might also become the first cricketer to take 200 wickets in IPL history.
2) Jasprit Bumrah
Matches: 120 || Wickets: 145 || Economy: 7.39
Jasprit Bumrah is one of the bowlers who can beat Dwayne Bravo as the leading wicket-taker of the IPL. It is fitting that India’s best T20 bowler is at the top of the list when it comes to being the leading wicket-taker of India’s premier T20 tournament.
Although experienced, Bumrah is relatively young. He still has, at least, a decade of IPL cricket left in him. While he would easily overtake Bravo’s record in a few seasons, Bumrah would also set sights on increasing his lead further. The likes of Rashid Khan would compete with Bumrah in this regard. That said, for a death bowler who is as talented as Bumrah, wickets usually come in heaps. If this happens consistently for a few seasons. Bumrah might reach a point wherein it becomes hard for the bowlers of this generation to overtake him.
3) Rashid Khan
Matches: 92 || Wickets: 112 || Economy: 6.37
Ever since he made his IPL debut in 2017, the Afghan spinner has taken more than 17 wickets in each season. While he may not break Bravo’s record immediately, he surely is a contender to dominate this list for a long time.
Importantly, Rashid is just 24 years old. If he plays like Bravo until he turns 39, that would be 15 more years of IPL cricket. By just calculating on average, Rashid would add around 250 wickets more to his tally, assuming he would remain in the same form. Unless someone else in his vein starts playing in the IPL, Rashid is all set for some long-term records in IPL.
4) Sunil Narine
Matches: 148 || Wickets: 152 || Economy: 6.63
The Kolkata Knight Riders spinner is 34 years old right now. Assuming he has at least two to three years of IPL left in him, he would definitely be on his way to breaking the record of Bravo.
In 2012, 2013 and 2014, Narine collected more than 20 wickets in each season. The West Indian cricketer would hope for a similar return in the final few years of his career. He would definitely have a lot of competition but if Narine can retap the form of his past, he can beat a few records. Hence, Narine is also one of the bowlers who can beat Dwayne Bravo as the leading wicket-taker of the IPL.
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