Ranking the top 5 teams with the best spin bowling attack ahead of IPL 2025 ft. CSK 

'Bowlers win you tournaments' is a rightly used term in competitive campaigns, but in the Indian Premier League (IPL), it is often spinners who are often the path-setters for the trophy. They may not always win the Purple Cap, they may not turn the ball a million miles, but their impact is there to be seen from start to end.

Over the editions, spinners' role has evolved in the IPL. Earlier often used to dominate the middle overs, now they are ever-present in each and every phase of the game. The growing profile of spinners, where they can be reliable new-ball or powerplay bowlers, aggressive options in the middle overs, or even in death overs.

Conditions also play a huge part in how franchises shape up their spin attacks, but even in the venues that are not necessarily 'spin-friendly', the beauty of tweakers is that they find a way to be relevant.

On that note, let us rank the top 5 teams with the best spin bowling attack ahead of IPL 2025.

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#5 Gujarat Titans (GT)

Headlined by one of the greatest spinners in the shortest format, Rashid Khan, GT have only had to make slight changes to their spin attack of the previous three-year cycle. The 2022 IPL winners were able to rope back R Sai Kishore by using a RTM, but lost Noor Ahmad on the same principle.

The ploy to play both Noor Ahmad and Rashid Khan, albeit effective, could not be a long-term plan as it affected the balance of the side. Playing two overseas spinners hampered the pace attack and the batting unit. Instead, GT have roped in two Indian off-spinners, in R Sai Kishore as previously mentioned, as well as Washington Sundar.

This not only offers more variety, but allows GT to use their other overseas stars in a better way. Furthermore, they also have Glenn Phillips' handy off-spin to turn to, if required.

In Washington Sundar, they have a powerplay specialist, though they have an imperious pace attack as well. The combination of Rashid and Sai can nail down the middle overs. Not a spin trio capable of raking in wickets, but they can be a brilliant defensive option, which is what GT needs considering their all-out aggressive pacers.

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#4 Rajasthan Royals (RR)

RR had the luxury of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal as their chief spinners for three years, and they were brilliant while bowling in tandem. After being unable to keep a hold of both of them through retentions or during the auction, they have had to devise a new plan.

Coming into the auction with a minimal purse, RR could not splurge too much on spinners. But, they managed to bring in two high-quality specialist spinners in Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana for a combined price of less than INR 10 crore.

The Sri Lankan pair could not be more different from each other, and that augurs well for RR. In a way, they do have the traits of the Ashwin-Chahal combination. Fielding two overseas spinners should not be a problem for RR given their all-Indian batting unit, barring Shimron Hetmyer.

Hasaranga and Theekshana are currently ranked fourth and seventh in the ICC T20I Rankings for bowlers.

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#3 Delhi Capitals (DC)

Quality, and not quantity, defines DC's spin bowling unit in a nutshell. DC went out of their way to keep a hold of both their frontline spinners in Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav for a combined price tag of INR 30 crore.

The pair also start for the Indian white-ball team, which is a statement in itself, given the intense competition. The pair were among the most successful spin duos in the previous cycle and complement each other quite well.

Axar Patel brings in accuracy and pressure, along with the ability to bowl in the powerplay. Kuldeep Yadav, on the other hand, is a bona fide wicket-taker with his left-arm wrist spin variations.

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#2 Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Yet another team that made it a priority to retain their spin twins, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) sit in comfort knowing that they have a deadly combination on their hands yet again. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy have been a headache that franchises have failed to solve in recent seasons, and the duo will once again be a force to be reckoned with.

Having two prolific mystery spinners, with one being one of the greatest in his era, while the other being at the peak of his prowess, in the same line-up is nothing short of a cheat code. Capable of strangling batters on any surface, they offer KKR a great sense of security through their spotless eight overs.

Even if batters find respite by treating them with caution, they falter after being under pressure to take on the other bowlers. That is the degree of the spin twins' prowess, they not only do a spectacular job themselves, but make others around them better too.

Although they have lost Suyash Sharma's services, they have picked up a decent replacement in Mayank Markande.

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#1 Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

The spin trio of Maheesh Theekshana, Mitchell Santner, and Ravindra Jadeja not firing on all cylinders played a huge role in CSK's mediocre season in 2024. After letting go of both overseas spinners at the end of the three-year cycle, the franchise went all-out in the mega auction.

They shelled out close to INR 20 crore to bring back R Ashwin and make a bold acquisition in Noor Ahmad. In Ashwin, CSK have an experienced, versatile, and a candidate who is more than familiar with the home venue. Noor Ahmad, on the other hand, is a long-term buy, and more importantly an aggressive option in the middle overs that they desperately needed.

The spin trio of Ashwin-Jadeja-Ahmad poses to be a huge threat, rife with balance and far from a one-dimensional unit. They could dictate the proceedings at the Chepauk, and be a handful at other venues too, given their skillset.

Deploying a left hand-right hand combination might also not prove to be enough to throw off this combination given how they have answers against it, at least on paper for the time being.