Best bowling figures in IPL final: From Anil Kumble to R Ashwin, list of 5 bowlers who bossed teams in summit clashes
The IPL 2025 final is set to be a historic showdown between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, June 3.
T20 cricket is very much skewed in favour of batsmen, and the Indian Premier League is no different. The nature of the sport is such that the batsmen, more often than not, get the spotlight while the bowlers sometimes get drowned in the sea of fours and sixes.
However, there is an old adage in football that we can adapt to cricket to show our appreciation for the bowlers.
Legendary football manager Sir Alex Ferguson once famously said, "Attack wins you games; defence wins you titles."
Similarly, we can say, "Runs win you matches; wickets win you titles."
Ahead of today's IPL 2025 final, we take a look at the top 5 bowling performances in IPL finals between 2008 and 2024.
Top 5 bowling performances in an IPL
The following bowlers were the pick of the performers in their team's summit clash.
| Bowler (Team) | Opposition | IPL Final Year (Venue) | Result | Bowling Figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anil Kumble (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) | Deccan Chargers | 2009 (Johannesburg) | Lost | 4/16 |
| Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings) | Mumbai Indians | 2013 (Eden Gardens) | Lost | 4/42 |
| Karanveer Singh (Kings XI Punjab) | Kolkata Knight Riders | 2014 (M Chinnaswamy) | Lost | 4/54 |
| R Ashwin (Chennai Super Kings) | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 2011 (MA Chidambaram) | Won | 3/16 |
| Hardik Pandya (Gujarat Titans) | Rajasthan Royals | 2022 (Ahmedabad) | Won | 3/17 |
IPL 2025 Final: RCB vs PBKS
The IPL 2025 final is set to be a historic showdown between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, June 3, at 7:30 pm.
The cash-rich league is set to crown a new champion as both teams are vying for their maiden IPL title after having endured 17 fruitless IPL seasons.
The final will be a repeat of the Qualifier 1 game as RCB stormed to the final with a dominant eight-wicket victory over PBKS.
However, Shreyas Iyer lead the redemption for PBKS as he top-scored in the thrilling win against Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 2 game on Sunday.
He smashed an unbeaten 87 off 41 balls and helped the Punjab side get to their target of 204 with six balls to spare.
Tuesday promises to be an exciting clash between two teams who are eager to end their title droughts.
Stay updated on all the action from the IPL 2025. Check the IPL 2025 Schedule, track the latest IPL 2025 Points Table, and follow the top performers with the Orange Cap and Purple Cap.
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