Alzarri Joseph holds the best bowling figures in IPL history with 6/12 on his debut in 2019 – a record that looked untouchable the moment he set it. But the number alone is not the full story. This is the complete all-time top 10 by figures, the match context behind each spell, which types of bowlers dominate this list, and an honest assessment of whether anyone will ever hit six wickets in an IPL innings again. Joseph built that record across just 3.4 overs for Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Quick Answer – Best Bowling Figures in IPL History
Alzarri Joseph holds the best bowling figures in IPL history with 6/12 in 3.4 overs (economy 3.27) for Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 6 April 2019, surpassing Sohail Tanvir’s 6/14 which had stood for 11 years. Only three bowlers – Joseph, Tanvir, and Adam Zampa – have ever taken six wickets in a single IPL innings. Every other entry in the top 10 is a five-wicket haul. For all-time wicket tallies, see the most wickets in IPL history list.
हिन्दी: आईपीएल इतिहास में सर्वश्रेष्ठ गेंदबाजी का रिकॉर्ड अल्जारी जोसेफ के नाम है, जिन्होंने 2019 में अपने डेब्यू मैच में मात्र 3.4 ओवर में 6/12 का जादुई प्रदर्शन किया था।
Best Bowling Figures in IPL: All-Time Top 10
Three six-wicket hauls sit at the top; below them, seven five-wicket spells from pace bowlers and two legendary spinners. The table below is ranked by wickets taken, then by runs conceded, then by balls bowled – the criteria ESPNcricinfo uses for its Best Bowling Innings records table.
| Rank | Bowler | Figures | Overs | Economy | Match | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alzarri Joseph | 6/12 | 3.4 | 3.27 | MI vs SRH, Hyderabad | 2019 |
| 2 | Sohail Tanvir | 6/14 | 4.0 | 3.50 | RR vs CSK, Jaipur | 2008 |
| 3 | Adam Zampa | 6/19 | 4.0 | 4.75 | RPS vs SRH, Visakhapatnam | 2016 |
| 4 | Anil Kumble | 5/5 | 3.1 | 1.58 | RCB vs RR, Cape Town | 2009 |
| 5 | Akash Madhwal | 5/5 | 3.3 | 1.43 | MI vs LSG, Chennai (Eliminator) | 2023 |
| 6 | Mohit Sharma | 5/10 | 2.2 | 4.29 | GT vs MI, Ahmedabad (Qualifier 2) | 2023 |
| 7 | Jasprit Bumrah | 5/10 | 4.0 | 2.50 | MI vs KKR, Navi Mumbai | 2022 |
| 8 | Ishant Sharma | 5/12 | 3.0 | 4.00 | DC vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Kochi | 2011 |
| 9 | Lasith Malinga | 5/13 | 4.0 | 3.25 | MI vs Delhi Daredevils | 2011 |
| 10 | Ankit Rajpoot | 5/14 | 4.0 | 3.50 | KXIP vs SRH, Hyderabad | 2018 |
Why the Best Bowling Figures Record Matters
Taking five wickets in a T20 match is the bowling equivalent of a century. Doing it economically in an IPL game – where power hitters, short boundaries and the Impact Player rule all tilt the field toward the bat – makes the feat genuinely rare. As of the end of IPL 2026, there have been just 38 five-wicket hauls in the tournament’s entire 19-year history. Six-wicket hauls? Three. That’s fewer than the number of batters who hit centuries in a single IPL season.
This list is also not what people expect. The all-time leading wicket-takers – Yuzvendra Chahal, Lasith Malinga, Dwayne Bravo – largely do not appear here. Consistency and single-spell brilliance pull in opposite directions in T20 cricket. The bowlers on this list often had the game of their life and then returned to something more ordinary. That contrast is part of what makes these spells so striking to revisit.
How the Record Has Changed Across Eras
The Early Era (2008-2015)
- Records set: Tanvir (6/14), Kumble (5/5), Ishant (5/12)
- Conditions: seamer-friendly, slower pitches in places
- Context: teams still learning T20 batting; collapses more common
- Pattern: economical spells (Kumble 1.58) more possible
The Modern Era (2016-2026)
- Records set: Joseph (6/12), Madhwal (5/5), Bumrah (5/10), Mohit (5/10)
- Conditions: flat decks, short boundaries, Impact Player rule
- Context: 200-plus totals routine; five-wicket hauls rarer, not more common
- Pattern: spells now come in 2-3 overs of carnage rather than 4 tight overs
The Stories Behind the Top Three Spells
Alzarri Joseph: 6/12 (MI vs SRH, 6 April 2019)
Joseph was not even supposed to play. He arrived as a last-minute replacement for Lasith Malinga and was handed the ball at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium with Mumbai’s total of 136/7 looking insufficient. SRH had David Warner in peak form. Joseph dismissed Warner first ball – a wicket maiden to open his IPL career. He got Vijay Shankar, took two wickets in consecutive deliveries in the 16th over, and finished by knocking over Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Siddarth Kaul. SRH were bowled out for 96. Margin: 40 runs. Figures: 3.4-1-12-6. His debut, 22 years old, never having bowled an IPL ball before that evening.
Sohail Tanvir: 6/14 (RR vs CSK, 4 May 2008)
IPL’s very first year. Tanvir dismissed openers Parthiv Patel and Stephen Fleming in the first over for ducks, then removed Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan to leave CSK at 11/3. After a brief recovery took CSK to 88/7, he returned and bowled Albie Morkel before cleaning up the tail. CSK finished for 109 in 19 overs; RR chased it in 14.2 overs with eight wickets to spare. Tanvir’s figures stood as the IPL record for 11 years. He also won the Purple Cap that season with 22 wickets for the tournament champions.
Adam Zampa: 6/19 (RPS vs SRH, Visakhapatnam, 2016)
The only six-wicket haul by a spinner in IPL history, and the only one taken in a losing cause. Zampa, playing his second IPL match, came on with SRH at 96/2 in the death overs and dismissed Yuvraj Singh, Kane Williamson, Moises Henriques, Deepak Hooda, Naman Ojha and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. SRH reached 137/8. RPS, despite Zampa winning the Player of the Match award, fell four runs short in the chase.
Five-Wicket Hauls: Entries 4-10
Anil Kumble’s 5/5 in 3.1 overs for RCB against Rajasthan Royals at Cape Town in 2009 is the most economical five-wicket haul in IPL history. RR, chasing 134, were bowled out for 58. Kumble was 38 at the time, and his economy of 1.58 has never been matched across all five-wicket entries. Akash Madhwal’s 5/5 in 3.3 overs for MI against LSG in the 2023 Eliminator was playing only his fifth IPL game; MI won by 81 runs.
Mohit Sharma’s 5/10 in 2.2 overs for GT against MI in Qualifier 2 that same season – five wickets in 14 balls at a crucial stage of MI’s chase of 234 – is the fastest of all the five-for entries by balls bowled. Jasprit Bumrah’s 5/10 in a full four overs against KKR in 2022 is entirely different in character: sustained, controlled, his 2.50 economy across a complete allocation in an IPL match is extraordinary. Ishant Sharma (5/12 in 3 overs, 2011), Malinga (5/13, 2011) and Ankit Rajpoot (5/14 against SRH in 2018 – the Warner-era SRH who were dominant that season) round out the list.
What Decides a Record IPL Bowling Spell? The Pattern Across the Top 10
Read across all ten spells and three conditions keep appearing. First, the batting side is often reduced early: in six of the ten matches, at least two top-order wickets fell before the tenth over. Once a lineup is chasing from behind and throwing the bat, edges and mistimed shots come to the fielders. Second, the best spells tend to come in either the first six overs or the death – not the middle. Nine of the fifteen overs across the top three spells came either in the powerplay or overs 16-20, where batters take more risks. Third, pressure cricket, whether knockout matches or surprise debuts, produces the extreme numbers. Four of the top ten spells came in playoff games or from debutants. The common thread is not a pitch type or a team – it is a batter choosing aggression over self-preservation.
Will Anyone Break the Best Bowling Figures Record?
Seven wickets in an IPL innings has never been taken. No bowler has come close. In the entire 19-year history of the tournament there have been just 38 five-wicket hauls and three six-wicket hauls, which means the gap between what Joseph did and what would constitute a new record is enormous – not a matter of one good delivery, but of taking another wicket while conceding even fewer runs across what would already be the most extraordinary spell the format has ever seen.
The most realistic path to breaking the wickets record is a genuine six-wicket haul with a better economy than 3.27 – essentially beating Joseph’s runs. That would require getting six wickets in under 20 balls against a full batting lineup. In a format where teams now regularly score 220-plus, and where the Impact Player rule adds a further specialist bat to every XI, the probability of a complete collapse of that magnitude is lower than it has ever been. If you are betting on an overseas quick on debut against an inexperienced middle order in a home venue where the ball swings, you are covering the conditions correctly. But the combination needs everything to go right at once. Current active candidates for a freak spell like this include Jasprit Bumrah on a responsive pitch, but even he took a full four overs for his 5/10 in 2022. This record does not fall often – it may not fall in the next decade.
The thing people miss about Alzarri Joseph’s 6/12 is that it was not a freak collapse of a terrible batting side. SRH in 2019 had David Warner in career-best form, Jonny Bairstow who had already pillaged runs at the top of the order, and Rashid Khan in their lineup. This was a full-strength, excellent T20 batting side. Joseph did not catch them by surprise once; he reinvented his approach six times over 22 balls and found a different solution each time. That is what makes the record feel genuinely safe. Run records get broken because batters keep improving their strike rates and the game keeps rewarding power. Bowling records like this one get more difficult to match as pitches get faster, boundaries get shorter and batting lineups get deeper. I would not be surprised if this record stands for the next 20 years. Compare it with any other all-time mark on the IPL records hub and you will find most of them have a credible challenger somewhere in the current crop of players. This one does not.
Frequently Asked Questions – Best Bowling Figures in IPL History
What are the best bowling figures in IPL history?
The best bowling figures in IPL history are 6/12 by Alzarri Joseph for Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 6 April 2019 in Hyderabad. He took six wickets in 3.4 overs, conceding just 12 runs, on his IPL debut. The previous record of 6/14 was held by Sohail Tanvir from the inaugural 2008 season.
How many bowlers have taken six wickets in an IPL innings?
Only three bowlers have ever taken six wickets in a single IPL innings: Alzarri Joseph (6/12, 2019), Sohail Tanvir (6/14, 2008) and Adam Zampa (6/19, 2016). No bowler has taken seven or more wickets in any IPL match across 19 seasons.
What is the most economical five-wicket haul in IPL history?
Anil Kumble’s 5/5 in 3.1 overs for RCB against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2009 at Cape Town is the most economical five-wicket haul in IPL history, at an economy of 1.58. Akash Madhwal also took 5/5 in IPL 2023 but in 3.3 overs (economy 1.43), so Kumble ranks above him on fewest balls bowled. Both are the joint-best figures by runs conceded among all five-wicket hauls.
Which active player is most likely to take the best IPL bowling figures?
Jasprit Bumrah is the active bowler with the best existing five-wicket haul (5/10 in 2022 against KKR) and remains the most dangerous bowler in the IPL when conditions are responsive. Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada are also credible candidates for a record-threatening spell on their day. However, matching six wickets in 22 balls or fewer under modern IPL conditions is extremely unlikely for any current bowler.
What was the best bowling performance in IPL 2026?
The best bowling figures in IPL 2026 were 5/23 by Mohsin Khan of Lucknow Super Giants against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. It was the only five-wicket haul of the entire 2026 season. Kagiso Rabada won the 2026 Purple Cap with 29 wickets in 17 matches.
The Bottom Line
Alzarri Joseph’s 6/12 on debut is the best bowling performance in IPL history and one of the most difficult records the tournament has to offer. In a format designed for batters, taking six wickets in 22 balls against a quality lineup is a near-impossible ask. The three six-wicket hauls in 19 seasons of IPL cricket are all that will ever be needed to make the point. The five-wicket hauls below them each have their own character – Kumble’s veteran precision in Cape Town, Madhwal’s fairytale elimination night, Bumrah’s relentless four overs in 2022 – and together they form a list that reads less like a stats table and more like the IPL’s ten most unlikely afternoons with the ball.
