The T20 format of cricket has completely transformed the game by introducing high-paced and high-energy competitions that capture the interest of global spectators. The powerplay is a very important point of the match where the teams’ intentions are to get the maximum runs and at the same time, not allow the other team to score runs easily.
For the bowlers, the powerplay is a mixed bag of things. The restriction of only two fielders outside the 30-yard circle leaves no room for error. Bowlers will have to be very accurate with their lining and length, but at the same time, they have to come up with new changes to keep the batsmen guessing.
Getting out the batsmen in the powerplay is almost impossible because of the attacking mode the batsmen are in this period. But it gives the bowlers the chance to catch the batsmen off guard and make a breakthrough, thus controlling the rest of the innings.
Top 5 bowlers with most Wickets in powerplay in T 20I
Left-arm fast bowler from Pakistan, Mohammad Amir is the one who tops the list of the most wickets taken in powerplay in T20 cricket. He appeared for the first time in T20 International for Pakistan in 2009 against England. His talent of swinging the new ball along with bowling deceptive variations such as the slower ball and the yorker has made him the most difficult bowler to face in the shortest version of the game.
In T20 cricket, Amir has captured 121 wickets during the powerplay inning. His capacity to produce speed, swing, and variations has not only made him a terrifying rival but also an important figure in T20 cricket.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the Indian pace driver, is an artist when it comes to swinging the ball during the early overs and getting his team crucial breakthroughs. The Indian T20 International debut was made by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in 2012 in a match against Pakistan. He can swing the ball in both directions which is a major reason for him being a bowler to reckon with in the powerplay overs. He has also increased his arsenal by adding a knuckleball and a slower delivery to his repertoire; hence being more effective in the shortest format of the game.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar पोलिwками since the inception of T20 in the world has taken the highest number of international wickets in powerplay of 114 balls. He who took his first international wicket on his first ball with a swinging delivery is one of the best swing bowlers India has ever produced.
The ever-fast Tim Southee has been the fastest man since his T20I debut in 2008. He is the only bowler who has been able to achieve this milestone of picking 150 T20 international wickets and still remains on the list of leading wicket-takers with his current position at the top among all bowlers. Even though the T20 format is not very friendly towards fast bowlers, Southee has come through with flying colors.
He is not only among the finest cricketers in New Zealand but also one of the most successful fast bowlers on the globe. Southee has taken 106 wickets in T20 cricket during powerplay which is the first six overs of the innings and he occupies the third position in the list of most wickets in the powerplay in T20 format.
Trent Boult is an exceptional cricketer who is famous all over the world, and has established himself in the game with his unique style in all three formats. His Test and ODI cricket performances are the ones usually remembered, however, through his appearance in T20 cricket, he has also been able to make a big splash.
He showed his skill during international T20 matches with his tight lines and amazing wickets taking along with his innovations such as going really low with the yorker and the slower ball. Boult’s variations pretend to be really subtle and effective bib he can still fool the best batsmen in the world. He has to his credit 105 T20 wickets during the powerplay period; thus, proving his outstanding bowling skills and calling him a true asset and still a nightmare for the rivals at the same time.
Sunil Narine has upset in a very big way the T20 world with his non-conventional bowling and constant annoying of batsmen. He is one of the very few who is able to make good use of what he has, meaning, the West Indian bowler is like magic, spinning in different ways sometimes even quite close to the bat and then with his off-cutters throwing the batsman and the ball away.
He has a total of 86 T20 wickets to his name and also during the powerplay which makes him a very dangerous bowlers in T20s because of his unique style and at the same time controlling of the game’s flow, thus he is a great asset in T20s.
