Top 5 most expensive spells ever bowled in IPL history

There is no denying that T20 cricket is tilted more in favour of batsmen. The batters come to the middle with only one intention in mind, i.e., to hit the ball out of the ground from the word go. The bowlers don’t enjoy any breathing space as they only have 4 overs to make an impact. With the continuous innovation of shot-making, it has become very difficult for the bowlers to consistently pitch on certain areas. 

As a bowler in T20 cricket, one needs to have a lot of variations in his armoury. Sometimes, one could go for plenty of runs in the shortest format, especially when one bowl in the powerplay as well death overs. Over the years, bowlers have conceded a lot of runs in their four-over spell in T20 cricket. 

IPL is arguably the most competitive T20 franchise league in the world and it has seen some of the most expensive four-overs spells over the years.

In this article, we look at the top 5 most expensive spells in IPL history:

Bowler	Figure	Team	Opponent	Year
Mohit Sharma	4-0-73-0	Gujarat Titans	Delhi Capitals	2024
Basil Thampi	4-0-70-0	Sunrisers Hyderabad	Royal Challengers Bangalore	2018
Yash Dayal	4-0-69-0	Gujarat Titans	Kolkata Knight Riders	2023
Reece Topley	4-0-68-1	Royal Challengers Bangalore	Sunrisers Hyderabad	2024
Kwena Maphaka	4-0-66-0	Mumbai Indians	Sunrisers Hyderabad	2024
Ishant Sharma	4-0-66-0	Sunrisers Hyderabad	Chennai Super Kings	2013
Mujeeb Ur Rahman	4-0-66-0	Punjab Kings	Sunrisers Hyderabad	2019
Arshdeep Singh	3.5-0-66-0	Punjab Kings	Mumbai Indians	2023

1. Mohit Sharma – 73 runs vs DC

Mohit Sharma rejuvenated his career after joining Gujarat Titans (GT) in 2022. He emerged as a reliable bowler for the newly-introducted franchise and a death over specialist. However, he also had his off-day in the competitive league.

Mohit broke Basil Thampi’s record of bowling the most expensive spell in IPL history. The right-handed bowler went for 73 runs in a match against Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 2024 season. He got smashed for four fours and seven sixes in his four overs of spell.

2. Basil Thampi – 70 runs vs RCB

Indian fast bowler Basil Thampi is next on the list. Turning up for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Basil Thampi conceded 70 runs in 4 overs against RCB in the 2018 edition of IPL. 

Moeen Ali took on Thampi in the latter’s first over as he carted him for two sixes. AB de Villiers took him in Basil’s next over as the latter went on conceding 18 runs in the second over.  

Despite going for plenty in his first two overs, Kane Williamson trusted him to bowl the 16th and 19th over of the innings. He went for 33 runs in his last two overs as conceded a total of 70 runs in his 4-over spell.

Read More: 10 highest powerplay scores in IPL history

3. Yash Dayal – 69 runs vs KKR

Young Indian speedster Yash Dayal finds his name on the unwanted record list. Although he has been an impressive name in the domestic circuit, he had a disastrous night when he was hit for ton of runs.

It was in an evening game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2023. While chasing a mammoth total of 205, KKR needed 29 runs off the last over. Umesh Yadav took a single off the first ball, which then put set batter Rinku Singh on the strike.

The chase looked almost impossible but Rinku had other plans as he went on to hit five sixes in a row to do the unthinkable. While Rinku clinched a memorable victory for his side, pacer Yash would require a lot of time to come out of it.

4. Reece Topley – 68 runs vs SRH

Appearing fourth on the list, Reece Topley conceeded 68 runs during a match against SRH in IPL 2024. To fix the bowling woes, RCB trusted him at the small boundaries of Chinnaswamy Stadium. But little did anyone know what was about to come.

Pat Cummins-led side ran riots and smashed 287 runs at the end of 20 overs. It is still the highest team total in the tournament’s history. Opener Travis Head samshed an explosive hundred apart from contributions from multiple batters.

5. Kwena Maphaka – 66 runs vs SRH

Mumbai Indians (MI) roped in Kwena Maphaka at the auction following his impressive stint in the U19 World Cup. He was awarded his IPL debut in the 2024 season against SRH. But unfortunately, the youngster had a night to forget as he went for 66 runs on his special day.

Again, it was SRH on the other hand, who did the dirty. While there were no hundred from a single batter, Heinrich Klaasen scored a 80 off 34 deliveries to boost the side’s total to 277. Other batters who chipped in well and contributed significantly.

5. Mujeeb Ur Rahman – 66 runs vs CSK

Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman is a household name in T20 cricket. Over the years, he has produced some match-winning spells in IPL. However, Mujeeb has also conceded the second most expensive spell in the history of the tournament. 

Playing for Kings XI Punjab, Mujeeb Ur Rahman was hammered left, right and centre in the 2019 edition of IPL. The Afghanistan spinner was brought into the attack in the second over of the innings as he went for 10 runs in his first over. Warner hit three fours to Mujeeb in his next over as the latter conceded 28 in his first two overs. 

Mohammad Nabi and Kane Williamson hit three sixes and a four to Mujeeb’s final over as he conceded 66 runs in his quota of four overs. SRH went on to score 212 runs and won the game by 45 runs. 

5. Ishant Sharma – 66 runs vs CSK

Ishant Sharma holds the record for the third most expensive spell in IPL history. He received a severe lashing at the hands of Chennai Super Kings in the 2013 edition of IPL. 

Turning up for SRH, Ishant Sharma bowled the second over of the innings. He conceded 11 runs in his first over. His second over saw Murali Vijay hit him for three sixes. Ishant’s last over proved to be the most expensive one as he conceded 25 runs, with Raina hitting him 4 fours and a six.  

5. Arshdeep Singh – 66 runs vs MI

Arshdeep Singh is an extremely talented bud who has a bright future ahead of him. But just like any other cricketer, he also had a bad day on the field.

While playing against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023, the left arm pacers leaked 66 runs in his 3.5 overs. Tilak Varma alone punished Arsheep for 24 runs in just 8 deliveries to seal an iconic victory for his side.

Read More: Bowlers with most wickets in a single season of IPL