IPL 2018: 5 spinners who could bowl in powerplay

A spinner bowling in the powerplay overs of a limited overs game was an extremely unusual thing a decade ago but with the advent of T20 cricket, captains have often employed this tactic. It appears a risky option with the fielders up but the batsmen are tempted to clear the field and in the process end up throwing their wickets away.

Spinners these days train to bowl with the hard, new ball and many have mastered this art of powerplay spin bowling. Over the past 10 years, the IPL has seen an increased use of spinners in the powerplay. This year's IPL will be no different and the openers will have to find a way to cope with this trend.

Let us take a look at 5 spinners who would bowl in the powerplays.

#1 Akila Dananjaya - Mumbai Indians

Other spinners available in the squad - Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, JP Duminy

Possible choice - Akila Dananjaya

Akila Dananjaya is a mystery spinner in the MI squad

Sri Lanka has produced a number of unconventional spinners who can bowl six different balls in an over and Akila Danajaya is one of them. The batting maestro Mahela Jayawardene was extremely pleased with Akila's bowling skills and fast-tracked his entry into the national side.

Without having played a single first-class game, Akila was selected in the 2013 T20 World Cup squad. He can bowl the leg-break, conventional off-spin, doosra, googly and a carrom ball as well. In the recently-concluded Nidahas Trophy, he troubled the Bangladeshi and Indian openers bowling with the new ball. Akila enjoys bowling with the new ball and Rohit Sharma would be willing to experiment with him as well.

His T20I career stats are -

Akila Dananjaya T20I career stats

#2 Harbhajan Singh - Chennai Super Kings

Harbhajan Singh would be a key bowler for MS Dhoni

Other spinners available in the squad - Kedar Jadhav, Suresh Raina, Imran Tahir, Ravindra Jadeja and Karn Sharma.

Possible choice - Harbhajan Singh

Once called the Terminator of the Indian bowling lineup, Harbhajan Singh (Bhajji) was known for his abilities to wreck the opposition batting. In IPL too, Bhajji is one of the most experienced players and over the years has been entrusted with the task of bowling in the powerplay, delivering every single time.

He has a deceptive doosra that can trick any top order batsman. While bowling with a brand new ball that does not turn much, it becomes essential for the spinner to vary the pace and Bhajji is an expert at it.

Over the years, while playing for India, he has established a great rapport with the CSK skipper MS Dhoni who loves employing a spinner in the powerplay. Thus, Harbhajan Singh could be the ideal candidate for CSK.

His T20I and IPL stats are -

Harbhajan Singh T20I and IPL career stats

#3 Ravichandran Ashwin - Kings XI Punjab

KXIP captain Ravichandran Ashwin likes bowling with the new ball

Other spinners available in the squad - Mujeeb Zadran, Axar Patel, and Mayank Dagar.

Possible choice - Ravichandran Ashwin

Nicknamed the 'Rajni' of Indian cricket, the KXIP skipper Ravichandran Ashwin has tons of experience of bowling with the hard new ball. MS Dhoni's go-to-man in the powerplay, Ashwin has added a number of variations, like the carrom ball, quicker one and leg break to his arsenal.

He is a shrewd bowler and can accurately anticipate the batsman's moves. Ashwin does this either by reading the batsman's mind or by purposely delaying the release of the ball from his hand at the time of delivery. Being the captain of the side, there are high chances that he would shoulder this responsibility of bowling in the powerplay himself.

His T20I and IPL career stats -

Ravichandran Ashwin T20 and IPL career stats

#4 Rashid Khan - Sunrisers Hyderabad

Rashid Khan's experience of playing in different leagues will help the SRH

Other spinners available in the squad - Deepak Hooda, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehedi Hasan, and Mohammad Nabi.

Possible choice - Rashid Khan

The poster boy of Afghan cricket, Rashid Khan has traveled the world playing T20s for different franchises and has been in sublime form for the past 18 months. Rashid has a quick arm action and bowls relatively fast. Thus, it is extremely difficult for any batsman to dance down the wicket against his bowling.

Rashid also bowls a very accurate googly which is difficult to pick because of his quick arm action. He handles the new ball duties well and has often done it for the franchises across the globe including the SRH in the last edition of IPL.

His T20I and IPL career stats -

Rashid Khan T20I and IPL career stats

#5 Washington Sundar - Royal Challengers Bangalore

Washington Sundar is an expert in bowling in the powerplay

Other spinners available in the squad - Moeen Ali, Murugan Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Pawan Negi.

Possible choice - Washington Sundar

Adjudged the man of the series in the recently-concluded Nidahas Trophy 2018, Washington Sundar was awarded for his unerring line and length and outstanding economy rate, especially during the powerplays.

Blessed with height, having a high arm action helps him generate bounce even on subcontinental pitches. We will surely witness the powerplay-specialist Sundar with the new ball this IPL.

His T20I and IPL career stats -

Washington Sundar T20I and IPL career stats