Three Memorable IPL Bowling Performances From Pakistani Bowlers

Pakistan crickets may not be a part of Indian Premier League anymore but it was not the case in the inception of the league. A lot of them took part in the IPL and delivered some memorable performances. Here we are looking at some of best bowling spells delivered by Pakistan bowlers in IPL.

Sohail Tanvir – 6/14

Pakistan cricket has been famous for producing quite a few bowling legends. Sohail Tanvir may not make it to the list but thanks to the Indian Premier League, Tanvir will be remembered forever. Interestingly it took 11 years for someone to go past the magical spell delivered by Sohail Tanvir as a Rajasthan Royals player.In the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008, SohaiTalvir took six wickets conceding 14 runs to Chennai Super Kings. He started by scalping Parthiv Patel in the first ball of the innings and finished with a wicket on his last delivery as well. With an unorthodox left-arm bowling action, Tanvir was a handful in the entire tournament and ended with 22 wickets at an average of 12.09.

Shoaib Akhtar – 4/11

By the time T20 cricket arrived in full capacity, a lot of yesteryear cricketers were not in their heydays anymore. However, they were highly rated for their experience and skill. One such name was Shoaib Akhtar, the Rawalpindi Express. Defending a paltry 133 against Delhi Daredevils Kolkata Knight Riders needed the experienced member to deliver. Back then Delhi’s top order was famous for players like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, and AB De Villiers. Akhtar was in his top form from the beginning. He got Sehwag nicked his first ball to the keeper and then hurried all the batsmen with his pace. He got all top order Delhi batters in his 3-over spell. Delhi were all out for just 110 and Akhtar did not have to complete his quota.

Umar Gul- 4/23

The next Pakistani bowler who shone in the arena of Indian Premier League would be Umar Gul. Kolkata Knight Riders hired Umar Gul during the first season of the league as he was one of the best bowlers of the shortest format of the game. It was, in fact, due to his fitness issue that Gul missed a lot of opportunities. He played a few games Kolkata team and showed what he could have done. In the last league game against Kings XI Punjab, Umar Gul took four wickets and then went on to smash a quickfire 24 at the end. This helped Kolkata Knight Riders chase down 175 and expectedly Gul was the Man-of-the-Match.

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