Top 5 IPL bowlers to have never won the Purple Cap

#3 Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra has been an ever-present in the tournament

Ashish Nehra, once the butt of jokes, made a spectacular comeback to the Indian team at the start of this year – and that was on the back of some stellar IPL performances for the now defunct CSK franchise over the past couple of seasons. His deadly accuracy and swing made him a tricky customer in the powerplays, where he has been one of the most successful this year.

The left-armer's advice and mentorship was key for Buvneshwar Kumar, Mustafizur Rahman and Barinder Sran’s improvement; which helped them carry forward the mantle once Nehra got injured and deliver a victory for the SRH franchise. At 37, his second coming appears all the more astonishing, and one hopes that he recovers from his knee injury soon to play for the Men in Blue again.Franchises : MI, DD, PWI, CSK, SRHBest IPL moment:

You’re playing the explosive team of the tournament, on their home ground – a batting paradise. You have a par score to defend, but you’re up against three of the best T20 batsmen the sport has ever seen. Lesser bowlers may have chosen to go the containing route, but Ashish Nehra turned in a match winning performance of 4-10 to seal victory for CSK against RCB in the 8th edition of the IPL.

With CSK defending 181, Nehra struck twice in the Powerplay, including the wicket of the threatening Manvinder Bisla, before coming back in the 17th over to nip Virat Kohli’s challenge in the bud. If it hadn’t been for Raina’s pyrotechnics in the first innings, this was sure to have been a Man of The Match worthy display. It may also have been the match that would’ve helped the selectors give this veteran a second chance.

IPL Record:

Matches : 82Wickets : 98ER : 7.74Best figures : 4/10