Top 5 bowling spells in the IPL

#1 Sohail Tanvir 6/14 vs CSK (2008)

The first 6-wicket haul in IPL history

Rajasthan Royals' victorious campaign in the inaugural IPL season was nothing short of a fairy tale. The Royals stunned everyone by not only topping the points table, but also defeating CSK in a thrilling final to lift the trophy.

Led by the legendary Shane Warne, the team comprised the likes of Graeme Smith and Shane Watson, but there was another man who was the prime reason for their success in 2008. The only season to feature Pakistani players, Rajasthan Royals' victorious campaign was empowered by exceptional bowling spells from Sohail Tanvir, whose awe-inspiring spell against CSK in the group match is still the best bowling figures in IPL history.

Giving Rajasthan Royals the best possible start, the left-armer removed Parthiv Patel off the very first ball of the match before sending his opening partner Stephen Fleming back to the pavilion off the 5th ball of the same over. Already rattled by the twin strikes in the first over, CSK lost Vidyut in the third over as Tanvir's unorthodox bowling reduced them to 12/3 in just 3 overs. After Watson and Warne removed the middle order, CSK were at 96/7 when Tanvir returned for his second spell, in the 17th over.

Striking twice in his third over, Tanvir removed the well-settled Albie Morkel off his first delivery before knocking down the stumps to send Muralitharan packing off the 4th ball, registering his first five-for in the IPL. He clean bowled Ntini after two boundaries to take his sixth wicket, ending with figures of 6/14 in 3.4 overs. Royals completed the chase in just 14.2 overs and won the match with 8 wickets in hand.

Deservedly, Tanvir won the Match of the Match award for his sensational figures of 6/14 and ended the season as the highest wicket taker. 10 years later, his bowling figures are still the best by a bowler in the history of the IPL.