With Mumbai completing their title defense, there has been much talk about their bowling unit and especially their overseas fast bowlers who have lit up the tournament regularly. Mumbai have always possessed a phenomenal amount of bowling talent which have won them so many crucial encounters. Here we look at the top six bowlers who have taken the most wickets for Mumbai Indians in an IPL season,
6. Harbhajan Singh, 24 wickets in 2013
Harbhajan is one of the most economical bowlers in IPL history but in 2013 season, he was among the wickets too as Mumbai clinched their maiden title. He began slowly with just six wickets in the first seven games and his economy was also on the higher side. But 2013 edition had a league stage with sixteen games and this worked in the Turbanator’s favor. He was back to his best as the pitches became drier and his best spell of 3/14 came against Punjab at the Wankhede.
5. Mitchell Johnson, 24 wickets in 2013
2013 was quite a year for Johnson as he reestablished himself as a fearsome bowler after a lean patch. Though he picked up wickets right from the start of the season, he leaked a lot of runs too and this coincided with Mumbai Indians’ bad form. However, a clinical 3/27 against Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede in which he picked up the wickets of Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina and Subramaniam Badrinath gave him a confidence boost. He never looked back after that and finished with an economy of 7.17.
4. Lasith Malinga, 24 wickets in 2015
Compared to other seasons, Malinga bowled more expensive spells but compensated by picking up regular wickets, especially in the second half of the season when the team needed him the most. Two of his performances stand out, a 4/23 against Sunrisers Hyderabad and 3/23 against Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier 1. He also picked up the all important wicket of MS Dhoni in the final effectively sealing Mumbai’s second title.
3. Trent Boult, 25 wickets in 2020
After a tough 2019 campaign with Delhi Capitals, Boult showed his true value this season as he was the gamechanger in both the qualifier 1 and final for Mumbai. He was incredible with the new ball, picking up 16 wickets in powerplay overs including seven wickets in his first over alone. He was a nightmare for Delhi Capitals but his best figures of 4/18 came against Chennai Super Kings.
2. Jasprit Bumrah, 27 wickets in 2020
Bumrah endured a shaky start to the campaign and the pressure was building on him since he has not been at his best since his return from injury in January. As the tournament progressed, he showed that class is permanent as he started picking up wickets in all kinds of situations and finished with his personal best wickets tally in a single IPL season. 4 for 14 against Delhi Capitals in qualifier 1 was one of the best spells of fast bowling as he memorably castled Dhawan with an inch perfect yorker.
1. Lasith Malinga, 28 wickets in 2011
Contrary to his campaign in 2015, Malinga was right on target in 2011 from the very first game as he picked up a five wicket haul. He had 17 wickets in the first seven games but veered off towards the end of the season. Batsmen were happy to play him out and he had an economy rate of below 6 in most of the games. He went wicketless in the qualifier 2 against Bangalore and Mumbai got knocked out. His economy rate of 6.10 was a dream for many fast bowlers and combine that with 28 wickets, it was truly a show of class from the Lankan legend.
