Most Powerplay Wickets In An IPL Edition Ft. Kagiso Rabada And Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Most IPL powerplay wickets in a single season [Source: AP, AFP]

The IPL 2026 season saw a resurgence of two of the finest new-ball bowlers of the generation, as Kagiso Rabada and Bhuvneshwar Kumar rolled back the years and led their teams to the final of the competition.

The duo wreaked havoc inside the powerplay, with their Test match lengths and ran through the top orders to put the Gujarat Titans and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in strong positions.

By the end of the season, both Rabada and Bhuvneshwar Kumar etched their names in IPL history books. Going head-to-head for the Purple Cap, they are now among the bowlers with the most wickets in overs 1-6 in a single IPL edition.

Most Powerplay Wickets In A Single Edition Of IPL

5. Trent Boult – 16 wickets (2020)

In the Mumbai Indians’ title defence in IPL 2020, Trent Boult played a leading role with the new ball. Throughout the season, Boult picking early wickets was a given, and as he picked 25 wickets in 15 matches of the season, he only conceded 7.97 runs per over.

Notably, 16 of the 25, i.e., 64 per cent of his wickets, came in overs 1 to 6. Overall, his season’s best figures were 4/18 against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings.

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4. Mitchell Johnson – 16 wickets (2013)

In 2013, MI were still on the lookout for their first IPL title, and the team also went through a mid-season transition, where Rohit Sharma was handed the captaincy. Amidst all the chaos in the team, one of the most feared pacers of the time, Mitchell Johnson, remained their consistent wicket-taker.

Leading the bowling attack, Johnson picked 24 wickets in 17 matches of the season at an economy rate of 7.17. Out of those 24 wickets, 16 wickets came inside the powerplay, and this includes a match-winning 2/19 in the final against CSK and another 3/27 in a league match against the same opposition.

3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 17 wickets (2026)

In IPL 2026, Bhuvneshwar Kumar backed up the good 2025 campaign, where he picked 17 wickets and found his old rhythm again. Throughout the season, he emerged as the biggest threat to the opposition batters, with his consistent line and length. He bowled well across phases, and by the end of his spell in the final, he was the holder of the Purple Cap.

After all 16 matches were done, Bhuvneshwar Kumar recorded his best IPL season with 28 wickets, bettering his 26 wickets in 2017. He had 17 powerplay wickets in the season, including an all-important wicket of Sai Sudharsan in the final.

2. Mohammed Shami - 17 Wickets (2023)

The veteran pacer, Mohammed Shami, had his best IPL season in 2023, where he played a big role in taking the Gujarat Titans to the final. While trying to defend the title, he was Hardik Pandya's one of the most trusted soldiers, who used all his experience and took consistent wickets in the powerplay.

Despite losing the final, he bowled well for 2/29 on the night and finished the season with 28 scalps in 17 matches. Out of the 28 wickets, 17 came inside the powerplay, and his season economy rate was 8.03 runs per over.

1. Kagiso Rabada - 20 wickets (2026)

In pursuit of the Gujarat Titans’ second IPL title, Kagiso Rabada proved to be the central figure in the team, finishing in the top-2 of the points table. Despite a loss in Qualifier 1, they bounced back in Qualifier 2, once again, thanks to Kagiso Rabada getting rid of the in-form Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel.

He looked at his best all season, predominantly bowling with the new ball and consistently clocking 145-150 kmph. As said by the bowler himself, sticking to the Test match length has helped him get to his best this season.

By the end of the powerplay in the final, he picked 20 powerplay wickets. Overall, he has 29 wickets in the season with one over left. He capped off the final powerplay with a wicket of Devdutt Padikkal.

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