Finally after a long delay, the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) is all set to start from 19th September 2020 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The tournament was originally planned to kick start from 29th March 2020 but due to the COVID19 pandemic, IPL was also suspended like any other major league.
As of now, the 13th edition of the IPL 2020 is around the corner, and fans around the globe are achingly waiting to see their favorite cricketing stars in action.
Overall T20 cricket and particularly IPL are mostly dominated by batsmen. This can be evident by the fact that since 2013 the average first-inning score in IPL is 162. If you watch any IPL match you don’t have to wait long for skyrocketing sixes, crunching fours, and chasing down mountain high score. Flat batting pitches, shorter boundaries, and fearless cricket are the main reasons behind showcasing a powerful display of bating.
As IPL becomes more tilted towards batsmen, bowlers with a good economy rate and the ability to take wickets at a crucial time become more valuable. Since the inception of IPL in 2008, the leading wicket-taker of the season would wear a purple cap on the ground.
Battle For The Purple Cap – IPL 2020
Here is the list of top 3 contenders for the IPL 2020 purple cap.
1. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Right-arm Indian medium-fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the premium front-line attacker of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) since 2014. Bhuvi also played a major role in winning IPL 2016 for SRH and claimed the purple cap with 23 wickets, the highest that season. He also won the purple cap for the second time in a row in IPL 2017 by picking up 26 wickets that season.
For IPL 2020 he is once again pundit hot favorite for the purple cap, given his ability to take wickets especially at the start of the innings and at the death overs. Good line length, brilliant change of pace, wide yorkers, good economy rate, and experience at depth bowling makes him one of the most respected bowlers in IPL. In IPL 2020 he will be once again among the top contenders for the purple cap.
2. Rashid Khan
The right-arm Afghani leg break googly spinner is currently ranked as the Number#1 T20 bowler. He is also a part of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) who has the best and most diverse bowling attack in the league. Around the world, Rashid Khan is considered as the most difficult bowler to pick up due to his quick arm action. The ability of Khan to bowl at any stage of the game along with the favorable condition for spin bowling in UAE will make him even more lethal with the ball. The Afghani cricket sensation who has a rainbow of variation in his bowling arsenal will be also a hot favorite for wearing that prestigious purple cap of IPL 2020.
3. Imran Tahir
The leading wicket-taker of IPL 2019 was the Pakistani born South African right arm leg spinner Imran Tahir with 26 wickets. The 37 years old game veteran will represent Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020. The never say die attitude and his hunger for wickets make him one of the top contestants for the purple cap in IPL 2020.
What do you think about our prediction for the IPL 2020 leading wicket-taker and winner of the purple cap? Let us know about your thoughts in the comments section below.