IPL: Game-changing bowling spells by batsmen

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has changed the game of cricket in many ways. In one such example, batsmen who were never expected to bowl have often been given a go in order to spring a surprise at the opposition.

This strategy persists because it has often worked, as unconventional bowlers manage to break the opposition momentum by chipping in with important break-throughs in IPL.

Even Adam Gilchrist had a go with the ball in the IPL and, funnily enough, took a wicket with the only ball he ever bowled in his career.

So, without further ado, let's take a look at four magnificent bowling spells that surprisingly came from cricketers who are typically batsmen.

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#4 Chris Gayle (4-0-21-3)

Chris Gayle has surprisingly managed to bag 18 wickets in his IPL career

Chris Gayle went unsold in the 2011 IPL auctions and was then brought in as a replacement by RCB for the injured Dirk Nannes. The rest, as they say, is history. Gayle smashed 608 runs in just 12 games that season, hitting 2 centuries along the way.

One of these saw Gayle hitting an incredible 107 off just 49 deliveries against the Kings XI Punjab in which 94 runs came from just boundaries.

Gayle continued his merciless domination in the Kings XI run chase with his off-spin. He scalped the wickets of Paul Valthaty, Dinesh Karthik and Piyush Chawla to complete a hapless demolition of the Kings XI.

He went at an economy of under 6, and finished with figures of 4-0-21-3 as the Kings XI Punjab were restricted to an innings total of just 120.

Although it was his batting that was more influential in this game, his bowling spell helped seal the match. It seems like Gayle turned this act of doing well with the ball after a phenomenal show with the bat into a habit. After his iconic 175* against the Pune Warriors, as if it weren't enough already, he bagged a couple of scalps with the ball as well.

#3 Dwayne Smith (4-0-8-4)

Dwayne Smith was known for his ability to wreck havoc with the bat

In 2016, while featuring for the Gujarat Lions against the Kolkata Knight Riders, Dwayne Smith was dismissed for a golden duck and was surprisingly still adjudged the man of the match in that IPL game.

This was because of his incredible spell of 4/8, where he grabbed a wicket in each of his four overs, which thwarted KKR's momentum and never really allowed them to take off. Three-fourths of his twenty four deliveries were dot balls.

The four scalps he picked up were important ones too, namely Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Piyush Chawla (who was surprisingly sent at two down) and Shakib Al Hasan. This economical spell restricted the Knight Riders to a mere 125, which was chased down by the Lions in just 13.3 overs thanks to the consistent Suresh Raina registering yet another half-century.

Smith himself admitted in the post-match ceremony that he barely bowled in the nets. He is known for wrecking havoc with the bat, and his last-over heist for the Mumbai Indians against the Chennai Super King, where he smashed three boundaries off the final three deliveries, is an indelible memory for most IPL fans. The West Indian does bowl a handful of overs every season, but this spell was certainly extraordinary.

#2 Paul Valthaty (4-0-29-4)

Paul Valthaty was a one-season wonder in the IPL.

Paul Valthaty took the 2011 edition of the IPL by storm with the Kings XI Punjab, becoming an overnight sensation after his blitzkrieg 120 off 63 balls against CSK in Mohali. In the very next game against the Deccan Chargers, Valthaty showed that he had a few tricks up his sleeve while bowling as well.

His super-slow split-finger deliveries baffled the Deccan Chargers, earning him incredible figures of 4/29. This was the best bowling spell ever by a Kings XI Punjab player at the time. He then made a mockery of the chase with a blistering 47-ball 75, helping his team chase down a target that he had himself kept down to 166.

He kept his performances up through the IPL season, and ended up challenging the likes of IPL greats such as Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Suresh Raina, Mike Hussey, and Chris Gayle (the eventual winner) for the coveted orange cap. It's a shame that Paul Valthaty turned out to be a one-season wonder after the potential he showed in 2011.

#1 Rohit Sharma (2-0-6-4)

Rohit Sharma's first IPL team was the Deccan Chargers.

The hitman has guided the Mumbai Indians to four IPL titles and it's hard to imagine him playing against the team he now captains. Not only did he play against them as part of the now-defunct Deccan Chargers, he also incredibly earned a hat-trick against them way back in 2009.

Rohit top-scored for the chargers with 38 as they finished the innings with a measly 145. The Mumbai Indians were in control of the chase, needing 46 off 30 with 6 wickets in hand, and with an in-form JP Duminy still at the crease.

Rohit Sharma was given the ball by captain Adam Gilchrist, and he cleaned up Abhishek Nayar and Harbhajan Singh off back-to-back deliveries at the end of the 16th over. He then scalped the prized wicket of Duminy in the first ball of his next over in order to notch up not only an improbable 19-run victory for the Chargers, but an even more improbable hat-trick for himself.

After a finger injury, Rohit has stayed away from the ball and hasn't bowled a single delivery since 2014.