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Yuzvendra Chahal (L) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (R) in IPL (Source: AFP)
Since its inception 18 years ago in 2008, IPL has a rich history of batters’ dominance, be it the highest individual scores or the 200+ team totals in an innings. Besides that, some bowlers have also flourished under the shadow of batter-dominated dynamics in the tournament.
There have been some outstanding economic spells in the tournament’s history, alongside the hat-tricks that showed the rise of bowlers to mark their presence in the tournament.
That said, here in this article, we’ll have a look at the five players with the highest number of wickets in IPL history.
5 Highest wicket-takers in IPL history
Yuzvendra Chahal - 221 wickets
The veteran Punjab Kings spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal, is the most successful bowler in IPL history. He is also one of the very few bowlers who have claimed two hat-tricks in their IPL career.
On the back of his wicket-taking ability, Chahal has scalped 221 wickets in 172 innings of his 174 IPL games. He has picked these wickets at an economy rate of 7.96, including eight four-wicket hauls and one five-wicket haul. He is currently the leading wicket-taker of all time in the tournament’s history.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar - 198 wickets
One of the most experienced among the currently active bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar made his IPL debut with Pune Warriors India (PWI) in 2011. Since then, he has played for two more franchises, SRH and RCB, and has also won the title with SRH in 2016.
Apart from that, Bhuvneshwar is the second-highest wicket-taker of all time in IPL history. He has snared 198 wickets in 190 games, at an economy rate of 7.69, picking two four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls.
He is also the leading wicket-taker in IPL history for his previous franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad. For SRH, Bhuvi picked 157 wickets in 145 innings at an economy rate of 7.72, including two four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls. He is set to be in action for RCB in the upcoming IPL 2026.
Sunil Narine - 192 wickets
The veteran off-spinner, Sunil Narine, has been playing for KKR since his IPL debut in the 2012 edition. The Caribbean stalwart has played 189 games for KKR, picking 192 wickets in 187 innings at a decent economy rate of 6.7, picking seven four-wicket hauls and one five-wicket haul.
He is currently the third-leading wicket-taker in IPL history, alongside being the bowler with the most wickets in the tournament. While playing in the upcoming IPL 2026, Narine will also have a chance to narrow the gap with the leading wicket-taker, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Piyush Chawla - 192 wickets
Former Indian leg-spinner, Piyush Chawla, played for four IPL franchises in his 16-year-long IPL career from 2008 to 2024. Chawla represented CSK, KKR, Punjab Kings, and Mumbai Indians across his 192 IPL games.
In these appearances, Piyush Chawla bagged 192 wickets in 191 innings, having an economy rate of 7.96, alongside picking two four-wicket hauls. He ranks fourth in the list of the highest wicket-takers in IPL history.
Ravichandran Ashwin - 187 wickets
The former Indian off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, was also one of the most prominent figures in the IPL during his time in the tournament. He played for five franchises in the IPL, including the multi-time champions CSK, Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, Rising Pune Supergiants, and Rajasthan Royals.
Notably, Ashwin captained all 28 of his matches for Punjab Kings; in these games, PBKS won 12 and lost 16. Speaking of his bowling performances in IPL, the Chennai-born veteran ended up as one of the most successful bowlers in the tournament’s history.
Ashwin hung up his boots in IPL, with 187 wickets in 217 innings, at an economy rate of 7.20, including one four-wicket haul. He is currently in the fifth spot on the list of the highest wicket-takers in IPL history.
.jpg?type=mq "5 Lowest Team Totals in IPL History")
