IPL 2018: Go-to bowlers for each team

The cricket extravaganza of the Indian Premier League is all set to push the envelope with its 11th edition kick-starting on 7th April. The glitzy showdown of Indian cricket’s marquee event is expected to get more promising this year.

With the big-hitters promising to send chills down the spine of bowlers with their willow, the adamant spirit of bowlers is would be worth witnessing this IPL.

The franchise of each has made sure to build their teams with the right-proportion of bowlers who can turn tables for them.

So, let’s have a look at key bowlers of each team who can pave way for their victory:

Chennai Super Kings- Imran Tahir

Imran Tahir, the South African leggie would be a crucial bowler for Chennai Super Kings.

Tahir made his debut in the IPL in 2014 for Delhi Daredevils and has continued his impressive run since. The Pakistan-born cricketer became the fastest South African to reach 50 T20I wickets in 2017 and now he would be eyeing to prove his mettle in the Indian Premier League.

Thala and his squad are making a comeback after two years. The team that has clinched the star studded trophy twice would be eyeing to prove the wait worthy this season.

Matches: 32 Wickets: 47 Economy: 8.31

Rajasthan Royals- Jaydev Unadkat

Jaydev Unadkat made it rich in this year's auction, becoming the most expensive Indian player and second most expensive overall with a bid of Rs. 11.5 crores from Rajasthan Royals.

Unadkat was the second most successful bowler of the 10th edition with an economy rate of 7.02. Unadkat, currently playing in the Nidahas Trophy, would certainly try to prove his bowling spells deadly and get some match winning wickets for their franchise.

Matches: 47 Wickets: 58 Economy: 8.01

Sunrisers Hyderabad- Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The king of swing, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is undisputed star performer of the Indian Premier League. He owns the record of being the sixth highest wicket-taker of the tournament and proudly crowned with the purple cap for last two seasons.

In 2014, he took 20 wickets in 14 outings and 18 wickets the following season. He has continued his successful run in the ninth and tenth season by picking up 23 and 26 wickets respectively. Kumar is probably the most dependable bowler on this list, thanks to his ability to produce wickets at any given time during the course of the game.

Matches: 90 Wickets: 111 Economy: 7.08

Kings XI Punjab- R Ashwin

Kings XI Punjab broke the glass ceiling when they announced Ravichandran Ashwin as their skipper. India ace off-spinner is looking forward to his maiden stint as a captain. But along with donning the captaincy hat, Ashwin would hold the responsibility for picking some crucial scalps for the team.

He was a part of CSK till 2015, but was released by the franchise this year.

Matches: 111 Wickets: 100 Economy: 6.55

Kolkata Knight Riders- Sunil Narine

When it comes to picking the most reliable bowler for Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunil Narine is always the preferred choice. The Trinidadian off-spin bowler is the leading wicket-taker for the franchise.

He emerged as a mystery spinner when he made his his IPL debut in 2012 and continued to make his mark in the following season where he picked 22 wickets in 16 matches. Narine’s deceptive bowling technique can give a nightmare to the batsmen this season too.

Matches: 82 Wickets: 95 Economy: 6.33

Delhi daredevils: Trent Boult

New Zealand left-arm pacer Trent Boult is one of the best bowlers who has proved his mettle for his national side across all the formats.

Picked by Delhi Daredevils for the 11th edition, skipper Gautam Gambhir is looking forward to see him bowl some deadly spells this season. He was the leading wicket taker in the 2016 World T20 and took 6-11 for the Adelaide Strike in the Big Bash League. Now, he would try to continue his dominant run in the upcoming season of IPL too.

Matches: 14 Wickets: 15 Economy: 8.79

Royal Challengers: Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal has now become a name of national reckoning but the Indian Premier League has seen the star in the making for a while now.

Yuzi had a hard time while playing for Mumbai Indians in the 2013 edition. But the stars aligned in his favor after the Royal Challengers Bangalore picked picked him in 2015 where he finished as the leading wicket taker for them for two consecutive seasons.

This year too, RCB would be pinning their hopes on the leggie to lead their bowling attack.

Matches: 56 Wickets: 70 Economy: 7.9

Mumbai Indians - Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah was retained by the Mumbai Indians this season for what would seem like a bargain amount of Rs. 7 crore.

Bumrah, who joined the MI squad in 2013, has become an inseparable part of his team. The right-arm pacer is considered as one of the best death over bowlers of the world.

He also holds the record of taking maximum scalps in T20I format in a calendar year.

Last year, he picked 20 wickets for MI and became the first MI bowler to achieve this feat. Bumrah has enjoyed a successful run in the IPL and would be eyeing to make the most of it from the upcoming edition of the cash-rich league as well.

Matches: 47 Wickets: 46 Economy: 8.1