A dot ball is considered gold dust in the T20 format. With so much relevance given to just one dot ball, the value of a maiden-over is priceless. It effectively reduces 1/20th of the opposition’s batting innings without having an impact on the scorecard in the runs column. So far, around 100 bowlers have bowled maidens in IPL history. In this article, we take a look at five Indians who have bowled the most maidens in IPL history so far.
5) Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 8 Maidens
Matches: 126 || Overs: 468.3 || Wickets: 139 || Economy: 7.31
Bhuvneshwar Kumar occupies No.5 on this list of Indians who have bowled the most maidens in IPL history so far. He has done all of this wearing the Sunrisers Hyderabad jersey.
Bhuvi is one of the best new-ball bowlers in the history of IPL. He is known to trouble the batsmen with the ball that can go both ways. Hence, batsmen are usually hesitant to go after him. Therefore, Bhuvi finds a way to bowl maidens at the beginning itself.
4) Sandeep Sharma – 8 Maidens
Matches: 95 || Overs: 353.2 || Wickets: 110 || Economy: 7.79
In 2015, Sandeep Sharma bowled four maidens when he was playing for Punjab Kings. At that time, Sandeep was still relatively new and surprised many batsmen with his ability to move the ball.
Later, after he moved to Sunrisers Hyderabad, as well, Sandeep started displaying a similar kind of bowling acumen. He troubled some best batsmen and collected their wickets consistently. A part of the credit should also go to him bowling maidens, which applied pressure on the batters to go after him.
3) Dhawal Kulkarni – 8 Maidens
Matches: 92 || Overs: 297.5 || Wickets: 86 || Economy: 8.30
Dhawan Kulkarni is also popular for his swinging deliveries, which are most lethal when the conditions suit him at the start of an innings. This has allowed him to bowl a few maidens in his IPL career.
Most of Dhawal’s new-ball exploits were when he turned up for the Gujarat Lions. In a single season, he bowled four maidens while opening the balling for the now-defunct franchise. At the moment, Dhawan plays for the Mumbai Indians.
2) Irfan Pathan – 10 Maidens
Matches: 103 || Overs: 340.3 || Wickets: 80 || Economy: 7.77
Although he later improved on his variations, it was as a genuine swing bowler that Irfan Pathan first got selected to Team India. The angle that he offered with his left arm also added to the variety. Hence, most batsmen were troubled by Irfan’s stint during the powerplay.
In IPL, although he was not greatly successful, the Baroda all-rounder did enjoy a few good campaigns in the initial seasons. He bowled 2 maidens in IPL 2008 itself, and that set the tone for him to collect a few more in the subsequent editions.
1) Praveen Kumar – 14 Maidens
Matches: 119 || Overs: 420.4 || Wickets: 90 || Economy: 7.72
Praveen Kumar leads this list of Indians who have bowled the most maidens in IPL history so far. He is also the No.1 on the overall list. Having made a name for himself as a genuine swing bowler, Praveen attracted attention when he did well in Australia in 2008. He later played for RCB.
While he bowled one maiden each in 2008 and 2009, Praveen could not increase his count in 2010. In 2011, he made the move to Punjab and that season, he bowled a total of 5 maidens. Over the next two seasons, he bowled five more maidens and increased the gap at the top of this list. However, with the quality of bowlers at the moment, Praveen could have his record beaten in a few years.
