Top five bowlers in the Champions League T20

In a first, the fifth edition of the Champions League Twenty20 left the honours between bowling and batting on an even keel.

If Neil Broom and Ryan ten Doeschate set the stadia alight with their pyrotechnics, the likes of Marchant de Lange and Rowan Richards shone with the ball, striking at key points and turning the game around for their side.

Bowlers have been at the receiving end of vicious onslaughts from the batsmen, but they have also come back brilliantly to turn things around.

Here is a list of the top five performers who starred with the ball in this edition:

5. Marchant de Lange (Titans – 7 wickets)

Indian crowds got their first glimpse of the young seamer from South Africa when he turned out for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.

Unusually for a pacer, de Lange bowls off a rather short run up, but still generates enough speed and extracts enough bounce to trouble the batsmen – a remnant of his javelin-throwing days, similar to former Aussie quick Jeff Thomson.

The Titans were bowled out for a measly 123 by the Brisbane Heat, led by a sublime effort from Matthew Gale. But de Lange had other plans, pulling his side out of the woods with a remarkable performance, striking twice in his first over before returning for a tense last over where he took his third wicket and ended the Heat’s pitiful struggle.

His 3/13 and a nerveless final over fetched him the Man of the Match award, but he couldn’t replicate his heroics as his team bowed out of the competition. Nevertheless, South Africa has unveiled yet another addition to their fearsome fast bowling stocks.

4. Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings – 7 wickets)

Always an energetic presence on the field, the West Indies captain and all-rounder had quite a decent tournament with both bat and ball, helping his side reach the semi-final stage yet again.

Bravo started off by picking up a couple of wickets each in the matches against the Titans and the Sunrisers Hyderabad; his mixture of slower balls and fast Yorkers proved too much for batsmen to handle. He also used the long handle to good effect in both matches, as the Chennai Super Kings looked to regain the title they had won in 2010.

In the first semi-final, Dwayne bowled his heart out, picking up three crucial wickets as his side restricted the Rajasthan Royals to a gettable score. But he was dismissed cheaply, and despite a late flourish from R Ashwin and Chris Morris, his team ended up second best. To make matters worse, the elder Bravo was on the losing side against his domestic team Trinidad & Tobago, where his half-brother hit the winning runs off him. Great leveler, cricket!

3. Ian Butler (Otago Volts – 8 wickets)

The 32-year-old pacer from New Zealand also had a fine tournament with the ball, as he went about ensuring that the Volts would seal their place in the group stages with a series of stellar performances.

His pace suited the surfaces on offer, and he managed to take a total of eight wickets in the series. In the game against the Perth Scorchers, he pegged back the Australians with a double strike in his first over after Neil Broom and Ryan ten Doeschate set things up with a blazing partnership.

Unfortunately, despite Butler’s heroics, the Volts couldn’t make it to the semi finals. However, a recall to the national side is still very much a possibility for the powerfully-built speedster.

2. Sunil Narine (Trinidad & Tobago – 11 wickets)

His judicious use of hair gel notwithstanding, the wily Sunil Narine has been able to fox the batsmen with his bag of tricks. After his IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders failed to make it to the CLT20, Sunil decided to turn out for Trinidad & Tobago, and reaped rewards.

He came to the fore with a magnificent four-wicket haul against the Sunrisers, conceding just nine runs in a four over spell. It would have been a match-winning effort but for Thisara Perera’s slog-fest towards the end of the innings. Nevertheless, he kept picking up the odd wicket or two as T&T cruised into the semi final stage.

Against the Mumbai Indians, Sunil struck blows at crucial junctures to finish with yet another miserly haul, but it proved to be too little too late as the IPL champions pulled off a thrilling victory in the final over to reach the summit clash.

The good thing for T&T and West Indies is that Narine seems to be back in form after a lackluster IPL 2013.

1. Pravin Tambe (Rajasthan Royals – 12 wickets)

The 41-year old Mumbai leg spinner not only resurrected his own career, but also went on to become the surprise package of this year’s edition of the CLT20.

He unveiled his bag of tricks against the Highveld Lions, bamboozling the batsmen with his variety and loop, and forced them to play rashly or offer no stroke. Tambe eventually went on to take four wickets in that game, and since then, became the Royals’ go-to man for breakthroughs.

He also did reasonably well against the Chennai Super Kings, knocking over Raina, Badrinath and Dwayne Bravo to derail their chase and secure a place in the finals for his side. Though he bowled well within himself and curtailed the free-flowing MI batsmen, Tambe ended up on the losing side.

The spinner, though, has caused a selection dilemma for the five wise men who are in charge of picking the best possible side to represent Mumbai. Hopefully his exploits in this tournament should make them aware of his capabilities to win matches on his own. Terrific stuff!