IPL 2023: Ranking the Best Bowling Attack of All 10 Teams
Royal Challengers Bangalore, the outlier as we look at the best bowling attack ranking and rating of all 10 teams for IPL 2023.
The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League, IPL 2023 is off to a flying start with some interesting results so far. While heavyweights Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bangalore are off to a winning start, the same can’t be said about another two heavyweights, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, who start their campaign with a loss.
If we observe closely, it is mostly the team with the better bowling lineup that has won the first match of IPL 2023. Given the impact player rule, almost every team is playing with 6-7 bowlers in their side. The extra bowler is mostly because they can play an additional bowler while bowling first or bring in an additional bowler while defending.
Given the circumstances, every team has five really good bowlers in their side with two good backups. So, having seen the first-choice bowling attack of all 10 teams for IPL 2023, let’s analyze their bowling lineup, and find out which team has the best bowling attack on paper. Before that let’s look at the methodology that would help us arrive at these rankings.
Methodology:
- To find out the rankings, the top 7 first-choice bowlers of each team are considered for the analysis. While the top 5 bowlers are given an equal weightage of 10, the two backup bowlers are given a weightage of 5 each. Finally, a cumulative rating is derived to arrive at the ratings and ranking.
- To remove the biases or perceptions, all bowlers (spinners and pacers) are relatively rated on a scale of 10 with respect to the benchmark bowlers of their respective category. The last three IPL performance and current International / Domestic form are considered for evaluation with more weightage being given to IPL.
Benchmark Spinner and Pacer for IPL 2023: Rashid Khan & Jasprit Bumrah
Alright then, let’s look at the best bowling attack ranking and rating of all 10 teams for IPL 2023.
Bowling Attack Ranking and Rating for IPL 2023:
#10: Mumbai Indians – 7.208
Best First-choice Bowling Attack for MI: Jofra Archer, Jason Behrendorff, Piyush Chawla, Kumar Kartikeya, Cameron Green, Arshad Khan & Hrithik Shokeen
At number 10, we have Mumbai Indians with a bowling attack rating of 7.208. This shouldn’t come as a surprise given MI are without Jasprit Bumrah, while Jofra Archer and Jason Behrendorff being the only two good options. Overall, MI’s bowling attack is filled with inexperience with as many as 5 young bowlers in their top 7 bowlers.
Jofra Archer and Jason Behrendorff are the only two good options that they have, who kind of keep their rating to 7.208. But apart from these two, Cameron Green and Arshad Khan are two decent pace options. Whereas Piyush Chawla, Kumar Kartikeya, and Hrithik Shokeen are the other three decent spin bowling options.
#9: Lucknow Super Giants – 7.917
Best First-choice Bowling Attack for LSG: Mark Wood, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda & Krunal Pandya
Coming to number 9, we have the Lucknow Super Giants with a bowling attack rating of 7.917. The rating for LSG is significantly better than Mumbai Indians, and they do have a good mix of youth and experience in their bowling attack. Ravi Bishnoi is the team’s best spinner with Mark Wood being the best pacer. Barring these two, Lucknow have potent bowlers in the form of Avesh Khan, Krunal Pandya, and Mohsin Khan. Whereas part-timers Marcus Stoinis and Deepak Hooda complete the rest of the bowling attack.
#8: Rajasthan Royals – 8.104
Best First-choice Bowling Attack for RR: Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Kuldeep Sen, Murugan Ashwin & Riyan Parag
Rajasthan Royals at the number 8 position might surprise you, but it is the two backup bowlers where RR lose some bounty points. RR have a really good top 5 bowlers in the form of Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, and Kuldeep Sen. But if they need additional support, they don’t have better options than Murugan Ashwin and Riyan Parag. Plus, the loss of Prasidh Krishan reduces their points a bit.
#7: Delhi Capitals – 8.125
Best First-choice Bowling Attack for DC: Anrich Nortje, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Axar Patel, Chetan Sakariya, Mitchell Marsh & Mukesh Kumar
Delhi Capitals have a lot of options for their bowling attack. However, given they need more overseas players in the batting, they don’t have any other option but to play Indian bowlers in the side. Anrich Nortje remains the team’s best bowler with good support from Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, and Axar Patel. But the other three bowlers, Chetan Sakariya, Mitchell Marsh, and Mukesh Kumar are slightly inexperienced, which reduces their points a bit.
#6: Kolkata Knight Riders – 8.250
Best First-choice Bowling Attack for KKR: Andre Russell, Lockie Ferguson, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Umesh Yadav & Venkatesh Iyer
On paper, Kolkata Knight Riders do have a potent bowling attack with the likes of Andre Russell, Lockie Ferguson, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, and Umesh Yadav. These six form a good all-around bowling attack, but none of these bowlers match the likes of Bumrah, Shami, or Boult. In addition, KKR have to rely on Venkatesh Iyer, if they need additional bowling support.
#5: Sunrisers Hyderabad – 8.271
Best First-choice Bowling Attack for SRH: Adil Rashid, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Washington Sundar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, Kartik Tyagi & Abhishek Sharma
Another team similar to Delhi Capitals that is heavily dependent on their Indian bowlers. Similar to Delhi Capitals, SRH can select only one overseas bowler in the form of Adil Rashid or Marco Jansen. However, unlike DC, SRH have a better mix of top 7 bowlers with the good pace quartet and spin trio. For SRH to go all the way, they would need the likes of Natarajan, Umran, and Sundar to come well.
#4: Chennai Super Kings – 8.271
Best First-choice Bowling Attack for CSK: Maheesh Theekshana, Deepak Chahar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Tushar Deshpande & Rajvardan Hangargekar
Only marginally, but CSK are fourth in the ranking of the best bowling attack. CSK have a variety of options to choose from for their best bowling attack. Their strategy shall depend on the pitch but in Chennai, they are likely to play 3-4 spinners including their best bowler, Maheesh Theekshana. With good support from Ben Stokes and young Tushar and Hangargekar, CSK’s bowling attack will the interesting one to watch out for.
#3: Gujarat Titans – 8.354
Best First-choice Bowling Attack for GT: Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Mavi, R Sai Kishore & Yash Dayal
Whenever Gujarat Titans play, they see valuable contributions from almost all their players. But what differentiates them from others is their bowling attack. They have strong top 5 bowlers in the form of Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Mavi. With good backups like R. Sai Kishore and Yash Dayal available, GT may never find an issue finding their best bowling combination.
#2: Punjab Kings – 8.646
Best First-choice Bowling Attack for PBKS: Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, Rahul Chahar, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Harpreet Brar & Rishi Dhawan
When you have Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, Rahul Chahar, and Sam Curran in your side, there’s no doubt about the quality of this bowling attack. They have the second-best pace trio in the form of Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, and Sam Curran. With Rahul Chahar, Liam Livingstone, and Harpreet Brar in the spin attack, Punjab Kings can go all the way if they see decent batting contributions.
#1: Royal Challengers Bangalore – 8.771
Best First-choice Bowling Attack for RCB: Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Shahbaz Ahmed, Karn Sharma & Michael Bracewell / Glenn Maxwell
Finally, talking about the best bowling attack of the competition, we have the Royal Challengers Bangalore with a rating of 8.771. Rarely would you doubt the quality of RCB with all their seven bowlers filled with quality and experience under their belt. They have the best pace bowling trio in the form of Josh Hazlewood, Harshal Patel, and Mohammed Siraj. In addition, Wanindu Hasaranga, Karn Sharma, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Michael Bracewell complete their brilliant bowling attack.
So. that’s about the Best bowling attack ranking and rating for IPL 2023. If we look at history, it is the bowlers that help you win the tournament. If the bowling attack ranking is any indication of their performance, expect RCB, GT, PBKS, and CSK to be the top 4 contenders for the Playoffs for IPL 2023.
Thanks for reading! Looking at the ranking of each team, which team do you think has the best bowling attack for IPL 2023? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com
ALSO READ: IPL 2023: The Best Uncapped Players 11 for the Tournament
Adesh Kothari is the founder of AK4Tsay1 Cricalytics with over 20 years of experience following Cricket.
Cricket to him is like what Football is to Lionel Messi, Singing is to Lata Mangeshkar, Dancing is to Michael Jackson, and Acting is to Clint Eastwood.
Besides his effervescent love for Cricket, Adesh is an MBA by qualification.
