In a tournament that has seen a lot of high scoring matches in the last few season with records being broken with the bat every other game, bowling plays a huge role in the success of teams. Many players have said in the past that batting wins you games, but it is bowling that wins you ca hampionship.
Whereas explosive batting takes the limelight, a quality bowling attack can be the difference between a solid team and a championship-winning team. The knack of picking wickets at key moments, keeping the run rate in check, and adjusting to varying conditions is what makes the top bowling teams stand out. With IPL 2025 likely to be another run-fest, bowlers will be under tremendous pressure.
Let’s take a closer look at the teams’ bowling attack and their ratings for IPL 2025:
1. Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians have the best bowling attack with all bases covered and a complete attack for most conditions. Deepak Chahar will have the support of Trent Boult, who can bring the ball back into the right-handers at the start of the innings. Mitchell Santner has mastered the middle overs while Jasprit Bumrah comes in the middle and death overs. They have Reece Topley and Corbin Bosch as pace backups. Mujeeb and Karn Sharma will be the spin backups. Hardik Pandya will also be key with his medium pace and completes a well-rounded bowling attack.
2. Kolkata Knight Riders
The defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders have a strong bowling lineup and will look to lift the trophy in the upcoming IPL 2025 season. Harshit Rana will lead the pace bowling attack while Varun Chakravarthy, who has been India’s T20 trump card in recent years will lead spin bowling along with Sunil Narine’s guile, and 12 overs will be sorted for the side on most days. Spencer Johnson and Anrich Nortje’s blistering pace will prove to be good at the Eden Gardens. The uncapped Vaibhav Arora was impressive last year and there is Andre Russell too who can always chip in with an over or two. Overall they have a strong set of bowlers in their squad.
3. Sunrisers Hyderabad
Pat Cummins and Mohammed Shami form a great new ball pair. Harshal Patel, despite a higher economy rate, is a good death-over bowler. They have a quality leg-spinner in Adam Zampa, although it would be difficult to include him in all conditions. In this scenario, Rahul Chahar and Abhishek Sharma’s slow bowling would be handy. Ehsan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat and Simarjeet Singh will be the backup pacers while Kamindu Mendis, Wiaan Mulder and Nitish Reddy can also chip in with a few overs.
4. Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings boast a versatile bowling attack with a mix of pace and spin options. Marco Jansen will share the new ball with Arshdeep Singh. Lockie Ferguson, Vyshak, and Kuldeep Sen will bowl in the middle phase. Yash Thakur and Bartlett are other backup pace options. Yuzvendra Chahal and Harpreet Brar will be the main spinners with Maxwell also chipping in a few overs. Omarzai, Hardie and Stoinis all can bowl a few overs of medium pace. They have plenty of bowling options and have most bases covered. The only issue is most of their bowlers have high economy which might trouble them on flatter decks.
5. Lucknow Super Giants
Lucknow Super Giants have retained most of their core bowling group from the previous season. Pace sensation Mayank Yadav was retained and they will be hoping he can stay fit. Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Akashdeep and Shamar Joseph provide great depth in the pace department. Ravi Bishnoi along with Shahbaz Ahmed and Maninaran Siddhart make for an excellent spin attack. Mitchell Marsh and Ayus Badoni can bowl a few overs if needed. Overall they have a pretty solid bowling group and the only concern will be the fitness of Mayank Yadav.
6. Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals have a well-rounded bowling attack with a strong spin duo and a mix of pace options. Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theeksana are the spin options, and Kumar Kartikeya will also add good support. Jofra Archer might need more support from Indian bowlers. Sandeep Sharma is good in specific conditions and young Railways man Ashok Sharma bowls with a good pace. Farooqi, Mpakha and Akash Madhwal are other pace options. Parag can also bowl a few overs of spin if needed. They have a good bowling attack but not enough domestic pacers who bowl high pace and that is the only concern.
7. Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans have not been able to strengthen their bowling attack compared to last year. They still have a good attack for conditions at home. Sai Kishore and also Washington Sundar will have crucial roles to play in the spin department. Ace leg spinner Rashid Khan will be there to support the pace trio of Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna. Coetzee and Ishant Sharma will be the backup pacers. Rahul Tewatia and Karim Janat can offer a few overs.
8. Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals brought in Mitchell Starc in the auction and have some good Indian pacers with the likes of Mukesh Kumar, Natarajan and Mohit Sharma. Chameera will be the backup overseas pacer. Kuldeep and Axar Patel form a potent spin duo. Darshan Nalkande, Ajay Mondal and Madhav Tiwari are other domestic bowling options available. They have a balanced bowling attack but the backup options are not strong enough and the spin bowling attack lacks depth which is an issue they could face in the latter half of the IPL.
9. Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings have a very good bowling attack for home conditions as they have four quality spinners Ravindra Jadeja, Ashwin, Noor Ahmed and Shreyas Gopal. Matheesha Pathirana will spearhead the pace bowling attack and will get support from Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Choudhary. Nathan Ellis, Sam Curran and Jamie Overton are other options in the pace department. They have a very potent spin attack but the pacers can struggle on wickets that do not have much assistance for the bowlers. Overall they could struggle with their pace bowling options.
10. Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal and Josh Hazlewood who all are very good with the new ball and can cause damage in the powerplay. Rasikh Dar is an emerging pacer who did well for DC in the previous season. Nuwan Thushara and Lungi Ngidi are other overseas pace bowling options. Suyash Sharma is expected to lead the spin bowling attack and will get support from Krunal Pandya and Liam Livingstone. Death bowling options and quality backup spinners are an issue that could hurt Royal Challengers Bengaluru this season.
India
