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The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League is all set to kick start in just a few days. The inclusion of two new franchises will undoubtedly make the tournament more competitive. The presence of world-class players will make the game more intense and an exciting affair between bat and ball is on the cards. While cricket is often considered the game of batters and pundits have raised questions over rules favouring bat, on multiple occasions bowlers have proved otherwise.
Following the trend, IPL 2022 will also feature top-notch bowlers from across the globe who will pose formidable challenges to batters with their pace and spin. Every season IPL honours the leading wicket-taker with Purple Cap, and only two bowlers have been able to bag the purple cap twice. Indian veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Dwayne Bravo are two players who have enjoyed the privilege of finishing the game as leading wicket-taker twice in fourteen years of the cash-rich league. However, young prodigy Harshal Patel wreaked havoc in the previous edition, finished the month-long tournament with the most wickets, and returned home donning the purple cap. With IPL 2022 just a few nights away, SportsTiger is making an attempt to list out five probable candidates for the purple cap in IPL 2022.
Jasprit Bumrah
India's newly appointed vice-captain has been in prime form recently, and he has even proved his worth in pitches which favoured spinner. Although he is yet to don the Purple cap, his toe-wrecking yorkers make him the strongest candidate. His best performance in the franchise tournament came last year when he picked 21-wickets in 14 games at an economy of 7.45. In total, the 28-year-old has 130 IPL scalps under his belt in 106 matches at an economy of 7.42.
He has been instrumental in Mumbai Indians' success in the past few years, and the franchise retained him for that reason. A lot will be expected from lanky pacer, thus we are expecting a Purple cap deserving performance from Jasprit Bumrah in IPL 2022.
Harshal Patel:
Patel's performance in the previous edition spoke volumes of his talent as a pacer. Although the RCB franchise could not win the title, Harshal proved his point by finishing as the leading wicket-taker. In 15 matches, Harshal clinched 32 wickets and equalled Dwayne Bravo's record for the most scalps in a single season. Due to his incredible performance, he was popularly called Purple Patel by many last season. Eyeing a similar performance from Patel, RCB brought him back in their squad by signing him for a whopping 10.75 crores. Under the leadership of Faf, Patel would like to make much impact in the tournament by stamping his authority and firming his prospects for T20 World Cup, scheduled for later this year.
Avesh Khan:
Another young prodigy who impressed many with his performance last season. He finished the tournament as the second-leading wicket-taker by clinching 24 wickets at an average of 18.75. The young pacer will be bowling with Jason Holder and Mark Wood, but Khan would like to lead the tally of wicket-taking in IPL 2022. The bowler has the potential to exploit the new ball conditions and hit the deck hard. His variation in bowling is another weapon in his arsenal. Hence, he is a bowler to watch out this season.
Rashid Khan:
He is roaring in every tournament and game he gets to play. He ranks fifth in ICC's best bowlers rankings, and there is a reason for that. While playing for Afghanistan, he has scalped 105-wickets in 58 games at an economy of 6.18. Khan debuted in 2017 for SRH, and he had been with the same franchise ever since, until this year. The Afghan player will provide his services to Gujarat Titans after the Ahmedabad franchise picked him for Rs. 15 crores. He is yet to win the Purple cap award despite coming close on many occasions. But now that he will have a fresh start with a new team, he has big chance of doing something big in IPL 2022.
Kagiso Rabada:
The purple cap winner of IPL 2020 picked 30-wickets in that season. He has been relatively consistent in the tournament and has a strong shot at winning the cap this season. He picked up 25 wickets in IPL 2019, 30 wickets in IPL 2020 and 15 in IPL 2021. Delhi Capitals shocked many after they decided not to retain his services, but one's loss is always other's gain. Punjab Kings secured the services of Rabadda for a whopping Rs. 9.25 crores. He will be the main fast bowler of his new IPL franchise. Considering his consistency in the tournament, he will be the top contender to bag the Purple Cap.
