Most Wickets in One IPL Season
Dwayne Bravo took 32 wickets for CSK in IPL 2013. That was the record for most wickets in one IPL season. Eight years passed. The IPL expanded. Matches increased from 60 to 74. Bowling attacks got smarter. Analytics became standard at every franchise.
In IPL 2021, Harshal Patel took 32 wickets for RCB. He matched the number exactly. Not 33. Not 34. The same 32 in most wickets in one IPL season.
That coincidence sits at the top of this list and defines the entire article. Two bowlers. Two different eras. Two completely different styles. The same number. Nobody has gone past it in 12 years of trying – as explored on Your IPL News.
Most Wickets in One IPL Season – All-Time Top 15
Top 15 most wickets in one IPL season lists the most brilliant bowling achievements seen in the IPL history till date.
| No. | Bowler | Season | Wickets | Matches | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dwayne Bravo | 2013 | 32 | 18 | CSK |
| 1 | Harshal Patel | 2021 | 32 | 15 | RCB |
| 3 | Kagiso Rabada | 2020 | 30 | 17 | DC |
| 4 | Lasith Malinga | 2011 | 28 | 16 | MI |
| 4 | James Faulkner | 2013 | 28 | 16 | RR |
| 4 | Mohammed Shami | 2023 | 28 | 17 | GT |
| 7 | Mohit Sharma | 2023 | 27 | 14 | GT |
| 7 | Jasprit Bumrah | 2020/21 | 27 | 15 | MI |
| 9 | Yuzvendra Chahal | 2022 | 27 | 17 | RR |
| 9 | Rashid Khan | 2023 | 27 | 17 | GT |
| 11 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 2017 | 26 | 14 | SRH |
| 11 | Dwayne Bravo | 2015 | 26 | 17 | CSk |
| 11 | Wanindu Hasaranga | 2022 | 26 | 16 | RCB |
| 13 | Imran Tahir | 2019 | 26 | 17 | CSK |
| 15 | Kagiso Rabada | 2019 | 25 | 13 | DC |
4 Things This Table Does Not Tell You
Bravo’s 32 came in 18 matches. Harshal’s 32 came in 15 matches. Harshal was significantly more efficient.
Bravo took 3 more matches to get to his tally. 3 matches is a long time in IPL. Harshal took 2.13 wickets per match. Bravo averaged 1.78. Same tally. Different efficiency. With 18 games under his belt, Harshal would probably have claimed 38 wickets. The record is shared by number only. The performances were not equal.
In 2019, Imran Tahir picked up the Purple Cap for the greatest ever bowling average, 13.42 with 26 wickets.
Tahir achieved an extraordinary achievement with his 13.42 performance which he partook in T20 matches that normally require 22 runs to take a single wicket. He achieved 26 wickets through 17 matches yet CSK failed to win the season while his total wickets fell short of leading all players. The true brilliance of his 2019 season is hidden behind the wicket count.
In 2008, Sohail Tanvir took 22 wickets in just 11 games with an economy of 6.74. He is yet to play another IPL season.
Tanvir’s 2008 season is the most frugal 20+ wicket season in IPL history. An economy rate of 6.74 runs per over in 11 matches is unbeatable by the other bowlers in the top 15. He won the Purple Cap. His team RR won the tournament. Pakistani players were banned from IPL so he never played IPL again. One season. One record. Gone.
The IPL expanded from 60 to 74 matches in 2022. The single season wicket record has not improved since that expansion.
The expansion means more opportunities for each team to bowl. If it was to be broken, it would be the time. Mohammed Shami bowled 28 in 2023. Chahal took 27 in 2022. Neither got to 30. The record of 32 is now 32 after two seasons of the extended format. It tells you 32 was not only good. It required circumstances and good fortune that are unlikely to recur.
Bravo 2013 vs Harshal 2021: Side by Side
| Stat | Bravo 2013 | Harshal 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Wickets | 32 | 32 |
| Matches | 18 | 15 |
| Average | 16.00 | 14.34 |
| Economy | 8.20 | 8.83 |
| Strike Rate | 11.7 | 9.7 |
| Five-wicket hauls | 0 | 0 |
| Four-wicket hauls | 1 | 3 |
| Team result | Won IPL 2013 | Did not qualify |
| Bowling style | Medium pace, cutters | Medium pace, variations |
| Wickets in death overs | 21 of 32 | 24 of 32 |
Harshal’s strike rate of 9.7 is much better than Bravo’s 11.7. He took one every 9.7 balls. Bravo took one every 11.7 balls in most wickets in one IPL season. Harshal’s team missed out on the playoffs. Bravo’s team won the title. The bowlers were roughly equal. The teams around them were not.
Bravo had Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, and Mohit Sharma sharing the bowling load. Harshal had Mohammed Siraj and Chahal but carried more of the burden himself. His 24 death-over wickets in 2021 is the most by any bowler in death overs in a single season in IPL history.
Purple Cap Winners: Full History
| Season | Winner | Team | Wickets | Won Title? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Prasidh Krishna | GT | 25 | No |
| 2024 | Harshal Patel | PBKS | 24 | No |
| 2023 | Mohammed Shami | GT | 28 | No |
| 2022 | Yuzvendra Chahal | RR | 27 | No |
| 2021 | Harshal Patel | RCB | 32 | No |
| 2020 | Kagiso Rabada | DC | 30 | No |
| 2019 | Imran Tahir | CSK | 26 | No |
| 2018 | Andrew Tye | KXIP | 24 | No |
| 2017 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | SRH | 26 | No |
| 2016 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | SRH | 23 | Yes |
| 2015 | Dwayne Bravo | CSK | 26 | No |
| 2014 | Mohit Sharma | CSK | 23 | No |
| 2013 | Dwayne Bravo | CSK | 32 | No |
| 2012 | Morne Morkel | DC | 25 | No |
| 2011 | Lasith Malinga | MI | 28 | No |
| 2010 | Pragyan Ojha | DC | 21 | No |
| 2009 | RP Singh | DC | 23 | Yes |
| 2008 | Sohail Tanvir | RR | 22 | Yes |
Five out of the eighteen seasons have witnessed the team of Purple Cap winning the IPL title in most wickets in one IPL season. This translates into a success rate of 27.7 percent for the Purple Cap winners. Individual excellence of a player in a particular bowling season will not guarantee his team the trophy of the IPL
Will 32 Ever Be Beaten?
Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal are bowlers who have more chances of breaking the record in most wickets in one IPL season within the current format of IPL. Bumrah plays few games in every season. Chahal bowls in every game but has a stable wicket rate of 22 to 27 per season in recent seasons.
The more likely path to 33 or more wickets in most wickets in one IPL season is a bowler who pitches up for all 17 to 18 matches in a long season, bowls wickets in the powerplay as well as in the death overs, and has a batting side that has the discipline to set a high target to bowl against. This doesn’t always happen.
The longer format, with 74 matches, should have helped. The first two seasons in the new format have seen 28 and 27 points as the highest tallies. The record is not just standing. It is standing comfortably.
