IPL 2025: With pacers being the most expensive players in the set, the Top 5 legendary pacers to have played in the Indian Premier League

With pacers being the most expensive players in the mega-auction of the IPL 2025, let's take a look at the top 5 legendary pacers to have played in the Indian Premier League.

The IPL 2025 marked a huge leap in the career graph of fast bowling players on the Indian side, as some overseas quick bowlers were picked earlier for a huge sum of money. 

 

The IPL 2024 mega-auction marked players like Mitchell Starc and Kagiso Rabada alongside Indian seamers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Siraj, and Mohammed Shami being sold for a huge amount of money. 

 

Though the history of the Indian Premier League has found many spinners who have risen to glory, the pacers have not had considerable success on the subcontinent tracks. 

 

Let’s take a look at the Top Greatest Fast Bowlers to have featured in the IPL:

 

5. Dwayne Bravo

 

Bravo started his IPL career with the Mumbai Indians, and he played his entire IPL career for the Chennai Super Kings. Bravo is the second-highest-ever wicket-taker in the shortest format of the game, with 500+ international wickets to his name. 

The legend also has 183 wickets in the IPL and a remarkably low economy rate, especially in the final overs of the game. 

 

4. Dale Steyn

 

Dale Steyn didn’t have the biggest of IPL careers; though his career started off with Royal Challengers Bangalore back in 2008, he played several matches for them and went on to pick 95 wickets in the format, also being the most economical bowler in the history of the game. 

 

3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is among the rarest of pacers to have featured in the IPL for over a decade now, as he has been a consistent performer, especially for the franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad. 

 

Kumar went on to pick 181 wickets in IPL history, with the lowest of economies of 7.76, which seems remarkable for a pacer who bowls most often in the powerplay with the new ball and then in the death overs as well. 

 

2. Lasith Malinga

 

Slinga Malinga is what he is often referred to as. The legendary Sri Lankan pacer, who was considered the finest to have played the shortest format of the game, was widely known for his quick pace and ability to bowl in unplayable yorkers. 

 

Malinga in his entire career for the Mumbai Indians picked 170 wickets in his career, as the bowler still remains the player with the best bowling average in the history of the game. He was the most vital player in Mumbai, winning multiple IPL titles with the pacer under their belt. 

 

1. Jasprit Bumrah

 

Jasprit Bumrah, the name that sparks rays of greatness in the modern cricket world. Bumrah is often said to be the finest of players to have played in the IPL. Considered an ideal disciple of Malinga, under whom he played years in the IPL for the Mumbai Indians, he is also known for his accuracy and toe-crushing yorkers. 

 

Bumrah now has 165 wickets, with him eventually rising to the peak of his career and still years of cricket left under his belt. Jasprit Bumrah also turned Mumbai Indian's highest-paid player for the upcoming season, having been retained for a whopping INR 18 crore.

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