Traditionally, PSL has been a league known for its supreme bowling talent. The bowlers used to dominate this tournament in the earlier editions. However, it changed dramatically as the league shifted from the United Arab Emirates to Pakistan. The flat pitches in the 8th edition of the Pakistan Super League proved to be a nightmare for the bowlers. But the event was still able to find a couple of fast bowling sensations. Some experienced campaigners also did well with the ball this season.
Let’s see who were the 10 top wicket-takers in this year’s PSL:
Top 10 Wicket Takers in PSL 2023
Here’s the analysis of the top 10 wicket-takers of PSL 8:
1. Abbas Afridi
Quite often we see a young fast bowler leading the wickets column in PSL. The same was the case in this year’s edition. 23-year-old Abbas Afridi was the highest wicket-taker in the competition. He won the Fazal Mahmood cap with 23 wickets in 11 matches. His economy rate of 9.46 is on the higher side. But the fact that he bowled the majority of his overs in the second half of the innings justifies it. Abbas was Multan Sultan’s key death bowler, and his death overs bowling was certainly the best in the tournament. His strike rate was 10.26 in the season, which is the best among the top 10 wicket-takers of PSL 2023. His best bowling figures in this year’s edition were 5 for 47.
2. Ihsanullah
Pakistan keeps producing express fast bowlers who can clock more than 145 clicks regularly. Ihsanullah is another one of those, and as far as the bowling department is concerned, he certainly is the find of PSL 8. He troubled batters with his extra pace and skiddy length. The speedster took 22 wickets in 12 games. His economy rate of 7.6 is the best among the 10 top wicket-takers of PSL 2023. He bowled a terrific spell of 5 for 12 against Quetta Gladiators in one of the league games. Ihsanullah took a wicket on every 12.45 deliveries he bowled in the tournament.
3. Rashid Khan
Among the overseas bowlers, Rashid Khan was the highest wicket-taker in PSL 2023. He also took the most number of wickets for a spinner in the competition. The leggie bowled exceptionally well in the knockout stage of the league to power his side to their second IPL title. Rashid bagged 20 wickets in just 11 outings with the ball. His economy rate was 8.03, and he took a wicket in every 10 and a half balls in the season. His best bowling figures were 4 for 21, and he was also the highest wicket-taker from his side.
4. Shaheen Shah Afridi
Since his PSL debut, Shaheen Shah Afridi has been one of the top wicket-takers in almost every season. He was making a return from the injury in this edition, and there was pressure on him to get back to rhythm soon. His economy rate of 11.73 may not suggest that he was in the best of forms, but he still took 19 wickets in 12 innings. His best figures in the league were 4 for 31 in 4 overs, and he took a wicket in every 11.17 deliveries. In the PSL 2023 final, he conceded 51 runs in his quota of 4 overs, and his first two overs had gone for 35 runs. But he made a terrific comeback to pick four wickets in his last 2 overs and tilt the game completely in Lahore’s favour.
5. Usama Mir
Usama Mir bagged 17 wickets in 12 outings to become the highest wicket-taker among the local spinners in PSL 8. His economy rate of 7.93 in batting-friendly conditions was particularly impressive, and he was dismissing a batsman in every 15.8 deliveries bowled by him. His best bowling figures in the league were 3 for 22.
6. Haris Rauf
Haris Rauf has been in tremendous touch in International and domestic cricket since the start of 2021. He was Pakistan’s best bowler in Asia Cup 2022 as well as T20 World Cup 2022. Like his bowling partner and captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, Rauf was also highly expensive in the league. The 150 kph bowler went for 11.16 runs per over, but he was able to take 17 wickets in 12 matches. The pacer’s best bowling figures were 3 for 34, and his bowling strike rate in the tournament was 13.82.
7. Zaman Khan
Zaman Khan is the fourth bowler from Lahore Qalandars on the list of highest wicket-takers of PSL 2023. He grabbed 15 wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 9.97. His bowling strike rate in the season was 14.2, and his best bowling figures were 2 for 17. In the league’s final, Zaman was asked to defend 13 off the final over. He gave just 5 runs in the first 4 deliveries to put his team in front. After conceding a boundary on the penultimate delivery of the match, he was required to save 4 runs on the final ball. He did so by bowling a brilliant yorker as the Qalandars squeezed a 1-run win to clinch the title. Zaman Khan’s performance in PSL 8 earned him a maiden call-up for Pakistan’s T20 team.
8. Hasan Ali
Hasan Ali has been off-colour in white-ball cricket for a long time. His performance in this year’s PSL should give him some confidence. He took 13 wickets in 8 matches while going at 9.28 runs per over. Hasan Ali’s best spell in the competition had figures of 3 for 35, and he took a wicket every 14.77 deliveries.
9. Shadab Khan
Shadab Khan is the third-leg spinner on this list. His 11 outings with the ball produced 12 wickets. Every 20 deliveries bowled by Shadab in PSL 8 brought a wicket. His economy rate in the competition was 8.98, and his best bowling figures read 2 for 22.
10. Fazalhaq Farooqi
Fazalhaq Farooqi is the only overseas fast bowler on the list of the top 10 wicket-takers in PSL 2023. He played just 6 games, but he was able to snaffle 11 wickets. His best bowling spell in the tournament was 3 for 25. At an economy rate of 7.9, he took a wicket every 12.64 balls. He picked wickets in his first spell in almost each of his outings with the ball.
Wrap-Up
Let’s summarize some important points about the 10 highest wicket-takers of PSL 2023:
- The 10 top PSL 8 wicket-takers include 4 from Lahore Qalandars, 3 from Multan Sultans, and 3 from Islamabad United.
- The list contains no bowlers from Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators, and Karachi Kings.
- Ihsanullah’s economy rate of 7.6 is the lowest among these 10 bowlers.
- Abbas Afridi’s strike rate of 10.26 is the best on this list.
- The list of top 10 wicket takers in PSL 2023 has 7 fast bowlers and 3 leg spinners on it.
- 8 local and 2 foreign bowlers appear on this list. Both the overseas bowlers are from Afghanistan.
