Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal sits atop the list of the top five wicket-takers in the Indian Premier League, having taken 187 scalps in just 145 matches. The Rajasthan Royals star is followed by former Chennai Super Kings and West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo.
| Rank | Players | Matches Played | Wickets Taken |
| 1 | Yuzvendra Chahal | 145 | 187 |
| 2 | Dwayne Bravo | 161 | 183 |
| 3 | Piyush Chawla | 181 | 179 |
| 4 | Amit Mishra | 161 | 173 |
| 5 | Ravichandran Ashwin | 197 | 171 |
Yuzvendra Chahal – 187 wickets in IPL
The Haryana leg-spinner made his IPL debut in 2013 under Virat Kohli’s captaincy in Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). While his debut season was limited to just one match, Chahal became a crucial part of the first-team eleven in 2014 and has since been a regular fixture. His best season came in IPL 2022, just after leaving RCB for Rajasthan Royals, as Chahal ended up taking 27 wickets in 17 games to win the purple cap and take the Royals to the final. The spinner has crossed the 20-wicket mark in IPL five times, with the most recent being the 2023 edition where he ended with 21 wickets for the Royals. Chahal has one five-wicket haul, six four-wicket hauls and as many as 18 wicket hauls in his 187-wicket tally. He has bowled 528.5 overs so far, at a strike rate of 16.97.
Dwayne Bravo – 183 wickets in IPL
One of the first T20 bowlers who emphasized the importance of death bowling in the shortest format of the game, the Caribbean all-rounder was instrumental in CSK’s title wins in 2011 and 2018. Bravo started his IPL campaign with Mumbai Indians though, tallying 26 wickets in the first three seasons, before CSK picked him. Bravo won the IPL trophy in his maiden season under MS Dhoni’s captaincy before having his best-ever IPL season in 2013, when he ended up taking 32 scalps in 18 games. Bravo played for Gujrat Lions CSK was banned before CSK bought him back in 2018 and won the title again. While Bravo has never taken a fifer in IPL, he has two four-wicket hauls and 16 three-wicket hauls across 161 matches. Bravo has bowled 519.5 overs in IPL at a strike rate of 17.05 and took 161 wickets. Bravo has won the purple cap twice in 14 seasons.
Piyush Chawla – 179 wickets in IPL
The Aligarh-born spinner started his IPL career with Kings XI Punjab in 2008 and quickly made a mark with a 17-wicket tally in his debut season. However, that remained his best figures until IPL 2023, between which Chawla won two titles. He had taken 57 scalps in 55 matches when Kolkata Knight Riders came knocking in 2014 and Chawla would go on to win the title with them that season. The spinner was an integral part of KKR for six years before CSK bought him in 2021 and the leggie won the IPL trophy with his new team, yet again. Currently with five-time IPL winners Mumbai Indians, Chawla has 179 wickets to his name in 181 matches, where he has bowled 606.4 overs. He has two four-wicket hauls and 13 three-wicket hauls while maintaining a strike rate of 20.34 in the tournament.
Amit Mishra – 173 wickets in IPL
Yet another leg-spinner on this list, Amit Mishra is one of the most experienced bowlers of the tournament. The man from Haryana is IPL’s part since the inaugural 2008 season when he debuted with Delhi Daredevils. He was prolific with the ball in the first three seasons, taking 42 wickets, but his team could never contend for the title. Mishra became a traveller hence, spending two seasons with Deccan Chargers before Sunrisers Hyderabad took him over. However, Mishra hasn’t been the same since his best bowling season in IPL 2013, where he picked 21 scalps. He did return to Delhi for a brief time before joining new franchise Lucknow Supergiants, but the last time Mishra had taken over 10 wickets in an IPL season was in 2019. Mishra has a five-wicket haul, four four-fers and 16 three-wicket hauls in his tally of 173 IPL scalps in 559.5 overs, which he has taken at a strike rate of 19.42.
Ravichandran Ashwin – 171 wickets in IPL
One of the few bowlers in world cricket who can’t be limited to a singular format, Ravichandran Ashwin had to be on this list. He was a crucial cog in CSK’s wheel during their initial burst from 2009 to 2015, where the side won the title twice and became runners-up four times. Ashwin had taken a whopping 90 wickets across seven seasons with CSK before he moved on to Rising Pune Supergiant, thus ending the fairytale. Ashwin has since played for Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals, with the veteran getting closer to his best under Sanju Samson’s captaincy. Ashwin has taken 171 IPL wickets in 197 matches so far, where he has bowled in 699 overs. He has eight three-wicket hauls and one four-wicket haul while maintaining a strike rate of 24.53.
Concluding Thoughts
The bowling in IPL has evolved massively over the years, which has directly reflected in T20 world cricket. Though spinners don’t win the purple cap as frequently as the fast bowlers, they win you titles in the long run. The fact that there is only one pacer on this list proves it. Other such examples, who don’t feature on this list, would be Sunil Narine, Ravindra Jadeja and Harbhajan Singh.
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