Playing just his second match in IPL 2023, Vijaykumar Vyshak of RCB’s medium-pace bowling found out the hard way that cricket is indeed a great leveler. Despite figures of 3/20 against the Delhi Capitals, he conceded 62 runs in his four overs, getting hit all around by CSK batters. This, unfortunately, is not an uncommon scenario in T20 cricket, where bowlers often come back with expensive overs.
Let’s take a look at 5 most expensive spells in IPL history:
5) Umesh Yadav (4-0-65-0) against RCB, IPL 2013
Yadav’s talent with the new ball is unquestioned, but his performance at death overs has been fluctuating. In the 2013 IPL season, while playing for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Virat Kohli, and AB de Villiers gave him a good test. Surprisingly, no other Delhi bowler let more than nine runs per over, while Yadav went for 65 runs in his spell, delivering 16.25 runs per over.
4) Mujeeb Ur Rahman (4–0–66–0) against SRH, IPL 2019
Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Afghanistan’s notorious spinner, is known for his various spins and tricks – particularly during power play overs. In a 2019 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mohammad Nabi and Kane Williamson took him to the cleaners, who smoked him for three sixes and a four in his last over alone – resulting in a whopping 26 runs from the over. Rahman ended the match with dismal figures of 0/66 in his four overs.
3) Ishant Sharma (4-0-66-0) against CSK, IPL 2013
Ishant Sharma began the match by letting through only one run in his first three balls. However, his next three balls were punished for 10 runs. Then, Murali Vijay hammered three consecutive sixes off of him in the same over, making Ishant’s figures look bleak. Eventually, he ended up with an expensive 4-0-66-0 as Suresh Raina struck four boundaries and a six off him in the 17th over. Despite starting the game with a maiden, batters were still able to score freely against Ishant.
2) Yash Dayal (4-0-69-0) against KKR, 2023
Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana were hoping to ensure an easy victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders, yet Rashid Khan altered the face of the match with his hat trick. Yash was already in a tough spot, having carted 38 runs off 3 overs, and was tasked to defend 29 runs in the last over. But then Rinku Singh hit five successive sixes and successfully secured the win for KKR, making Yash concede 69 runs off his 4 overs.
1) Basil Thampi (4–0–70–0) against RCB, IPL 2018
Basil Thampi holds the record for giving up the most runs in an IPL game. During a match between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, also known as the bowler’s graveyard, English all-rounder Moeen Ali made light work of Thampi’s bowling and took 19 runs off his first over. Things didn’t get any better for him either, as de Villiers punished him further in the following over, and Thampi ultimately ended with a dismal 0/70 in four overs.