Introduction
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a tournament full of energy. Be it a batsman or a bowler, everyone plays with their full strength. Sometimes it happens that some bowlers are hit too many times by a batsman. No matter how big a bowler is, he never gives his best in a pressurised situation; a batsman without any results answers every ball of the bowlers with maximum runs.
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| Top 10 most Expensive Spell in IPL |
In this list we are going to know about the top 10 most expensive spells in IPL history, in which bowlers added a lot of runs to their opponent team in their 4 overs spell. Sometimes the pitches did not allow their bowls to be delivered properly and sometimes the batsman did not let a single bowl go without scoring any runs. This is the nature of cricket, which shows that any match can take any turn at any time.
So let us know about some such bowlers in today's blog post, who have seen some such moments in IPL which remained like a black cloud in their life forever.
Criteria for Selection
In this list of our Top 10 Most Expensive Spells in IPL History, players have been selected on the basis of certain criteria.
- Only four-over spells considered - Only spells of 4 overs have been counted. Players who have not bowled 4 overs have not been included in this list.
- Ranked by total runs conceded - The bowlers who have given the maximum runs have been placed at the top of the list.
- Includes performances from multiple IPL seasons (2013–2025) - In this, only the 9 Most Expensive Spells in IPL History that have taken place from 2013 to 2023 i.e. last 12 years have been considered.
Top 10 Most Expensive Spells in IPL History
9. Varun Aaron (Rajasthan Royals, 2019)
Runs Conceded: 63 | Economy: 15.75
Match: RR vs CSK, Chennai (2019)
Result: CSK won by 8 wickets.
Key Reason: In this dealth over MS Dhoni had badly hit 20 balls of Aaron, in which he scored 40 runs with power hitting. Dhoni had completely destroyed Varun's pace bowling. In front of Dhoni's batting, it seems as if Aaron's bowling had no effect. And ultimately CSK won this match.
8. Umesh Yadav (Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2013)
Runs Conceded: 65 | Economy: 16.25
Match: RCB vs SRH, Hyderabad (2013)
Result: SRH won by 11 runs.
Key Reason: 2 players took advantage of Umesh Yadav's inconsistent bowling. Shikhar Dhawan and Darren Sammy hit every single ball out of the boundaries. Dhawan's strokeplay batting and Sammy's powerful hitting made Umesh's spell no less than a nightmare. RCB could not win the match due to so many runs given by Umesh.
7. Ashok Dinda (Rising Pune Supergiant, 2017)
Runs Conceded: 63 | Economy: 15.75
Match: RPS vs SRH, Pune (2017)
Result: SRH won by 48 runs.
Key Reason: The biggest loophole in Ashok Dinda's bowling was of variations. There was no variation in his bowling, which was fully utilized by batsmen like David Warner and Moises Henriques. Warner completely foiled Dinda's spells with his aggressive batting and Moises with his short shots. Due to which Rising Pune Supergiant had to face a bad defeat.
6. Sandeep Sharma (Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2020)
Runs Conceded: 65 | Economy: 16.25
Match: SRH vs MI, Sharjah (2020)
Result: MI won by 34 runs.
Key Reason: Sandeep Sharma's balls were badly washed by Ishan Kishan. Ishan played an innings of 99 runs on the Sharjah track. Sandeep's balls were coming towards Ishan but sometimes in the air and sometimes they were going beyond the boundaries. This performance of Ishan Kishan made SRH's defeat certain and along with that Sandeep Sharma's spells got included in the most expensive spell in IPL history.
5. Ishant Sharma (Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2013)
Runs Conceded: 66 | Economy: 16.50
Match: SRH vs CSK, Hyderabad (2013)
Result: CSK won by 77 runs.
Key Reason: Suresh Raina and Dhoni took full advantage of Ishant Sharma's predictable length in the IPL 2013 season. Both the players answered every ball bowled by Ishant with full force. In every over the ball crossed the boundaries and many sixes were hit. This spell proved to be the biggest nightmare for Ishant in his entire career.
4. Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Punjab Kings, 2021)
Runs Conceded: 66 | Economy: 16.50 Match: PBKS vs CSK, Mumbai (2021)
Result: CSK won by 6 wickets.
Key Reason: Famous for mystery spin, Mujeeb experienced the biggest nightmare of his life in 2021. Because in this season, Ruturaj Gaikwad, along with an innings of 75 runs, has washed every single ball of Mujeeb in such a way that every single ball was falling only outside the boundaries. During this time, the mystery spin of Mujeeb and Rahman also did not work and due to Mumbai's Dev not being able to grip the ball in filled conditions, Ruturaj left no stone unturned in hitting big shots.
3. Yash Dayal (Gujarat Titans, 2023)
Runs Conceded: 69 | Economy: 17.25
Match: GT vs KKR, Ahmedabad (2023)
Result: KKR won by 3 wickets.
Key Reason: Yash Dayal's entire spell was ruined by Rinku Singh with his batting. In these overs, he played an innings of 48 runs, in which Rinku scored this much in just 16 balls. The entire credit for this goes to Yash's bowling, this match proved to be very useless for him. In the last over, Rinku hit 5 straight sixes on Yash's balls. In a way, this proved to be a dark phase in Yash Dayal's cricket career.
2. Basil Thampi (Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2018)
Runs Conceded: 70 | Economy: 17.50 Match: SRH vs RCB, Bengaluru (2018)
Result: RCB won by 14 runs.
Key Reason: If anyone's spell proved to be the most lethal in these 10 years' IPL season, it was Basil Thampi's. AB de Villiers and Moeen Ali washed Basil's balls in such a way that it was like a rain in terms of score. AB scored 69 runs in 39 balls, Moeen scored 65 runs in 34 balls, almost more than 70 runs were bowled by Basil Thampi. All these overs were bowled only in fours and sixes. Therefore this is included in the most expensive overs of IPL.
1. Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals, 2025)
Runs Conceded: 76 | Economy: 19.00 Match: RR vs SRH, Hyderabad (2025)
Result: SRH won by 44 runs.
Key Reason: Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen are playing an important role in making Jofra Archer's spells the most expensive spell in IPL this time. These players targeted Archer's pace attack and scored 76 runs in fours and sixes. This spell of Jofra proved to be the most expensive spell in the history of IPL.
Summary Table on most expensive spell in IPL
Analysis & Impact
The most expensive spell in IPL changes the momentum of the entire match. Sometimes the direction of the entire match can change because of one bad over. As much as it is important to score runs, it is equally important to stop the opponent team from scoring, in which the bowler plays the main role. Everything doesn't need to be perfect every time, be it experienced bowlers or new comers, sometimes a match becomes so heavy that it becomes the darkest phase of the entire career.
- Yash Dayal's spell had created a record for Rinku Singh of hitting 5 consecutive sixes in 2023. But still in 2024, RCB took him in their team and Yash's performance was also excellent.
- Despite giving 70+ runs, Basil Thampi was also retained by SRH. So that he could get a chance to prove himself.
- Recently, on 23 March 2025, in the match between RR vs SRH, Jofra Archer broke the record of Most Expensive Spell in IPL.
The most important thing in T20 matches is to handle pressure. But this is not possible for all the players, something goes wrong inevitably. If bowlers practice yorkers and slower balls and focus on them, then with a strong mindset they can bring even a spoiled match in the right direction.
Conclusion
IPL is an unpredictable game, in which no one can predict what will happen next. But every aspect of the game is important from the perspective of the game, if the spells of a bowler prove to be a nightmare for him then the same spells become a paradise for the batsman. This kind of expensive spells show that even a small mistake in cricket can spoil the entire game.
Is the name of your favourite bowler included in our list of most expensive spell in IPL? If yes, then what is your reaction for it, please do tell us by commenting.
FAQs Worst bowling figures in IPL
Q1: Who has bowled the most expensive spell in IPL history?
A: Basil Thampi has the biggest record. He scored a total of 70 runs, which included AB de Villiers and Moeen Ali. This match took place between SRH and RCB in 2018.
Q2: In which IPL season were the most expensive spells?
A: The 2023 season had Yash Dayal's 69-run spell, which indicates increasing scoring rates.
Q3: What impact does an expensive spell have on a bowler's career?
A: While some are affected by loss of confidence (e.g., Varun Aaron), others like Yash Dayal rediscover themselves.
Q4: Has any bowler conceded over 70 runs in an IPL match?
A: Yes, recently Jafra Archer has also broken Basil Thampi's record in four-over spell. The most expensive spell of 76 runs bowled by Jafra in the match between RR vs SRH on 23 March 2025.
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