IPL 2021: There was a time when cricket teams used to brag about their strength on the basis of the fast bowlers that they had in their bedecked echelons. The raw and brutal pace wasn’t just a technique like the current days, but it used to be a fear-mongering aspect of each side, especially with players of towering statures like the Whispering Death, Big Bird, Barney, Paddles and countless others who have romanticized the art of fast bowling to an extent where a team sans such big brutal names used to be considered as effeminate.
However, the entire paradigm of cricket has changed and things are no longer as they used to be. As the game has evolved over the years, so have the sportsmen playing the sport. From being a sport of all-round ability, it is now a stoush of the willow and the leather which is highly predominant towards the ones flailing the blade frenetically.
Despite the sunset of those brutal and minatory fast bowlers, a new lot of the genres has been evolving who have not only built themselves according to the prerequisites of fast bowling but are capable of consistently hitting the deck at 145 plus clicks.
As India celebrates the fourteenth edition of the biggest cricketing extravaganza in terms of franchise cricket, Indian Premier League 2021, we will take a look at those monikers who are spearheading the renaissance of fast bowling in IPL and are considered to be the deadliest fast bowlers across the face of the planet. In this story, we will be celebrating the five fastest bowlers of IPL 2021 who will still be playing.
#1 Anrich Nortje
Anrich Nortje was brought in as the replacement of Chris Woakes in IPL 2020. Hailing from the Rainbow Nation, there weren’t many expectations from this man. However, when he started belting out those nasty bullets that went on to break all the previous speed records of IPL, people realized that what a wonderful signing has the Capitals made in Nortje. Playing the perfect complement to Kagiso Rabada, he blazed the tournament with the five fastest deliveries in the entire antiquity of the fray. In the preceding edition of the tournament, he came out with figures of 22 wickets from the 16 games which he played, bowling at a decent economy rate of 8.39. The war that he brewed with Jos Butler in the solitary over where he was smacked for a couple of boundaries and then he avenged his humiliation with a tracer bullet ranging at 150 plus clicks was one of the highlights of the tournament.
#2 Kagiso Rabada
Another South African name who turned out to be a ship-wrecker last time and continues to be one of the finest fast bowlers in the tournament’s glittering history is Kagiso Rabada. Plying his trade for Delhi Capitals, he left an indelible impact on the tournament and was an industrious part of Delhi en route to reaching the finals. He claimed the Purple Cap in 2020 by a 30-wicket performance that saw him establishing himself as an unplayable bowler. Until now, he has played 42 games in his IPL career and has managed to scalp 69 wickets.
#3 Jasprit Bumrah
Needless to say, Mumbai Indians’ and India’s primary bowling option, Jasprit Bumrah will be one of the most crackling pacers of the tournament. Able to hit the deck as hard as 148 clicks, he has already started the fray on a decent note that saw him bowling 4 overs and chronicling figures of 27 for 2 from the same that kept RCB in check. He missed out on the Purple Cap in the preceding edition by a whisker as he could only go up to 27 wickets, three adrift of the leader, Rabada. If he gets going, he can single-handedly destabilize any fortified batting line-up and push the opposition to the brink of decimation.
#4 Lungi Ngidi
Despite watering down in the last couple of seasons, Ngidi is an unstoppable force in the ranks of Chennai Super Kings. The man can regularly belt out 145 clicks and his well-built physique aids him in sending the bullets even faster. He has been a part of three matches so far in the ongoing edition and will be doing a few more rounds as the party arrives in UAE. He has been expensive so far but has also managed five wickets which will be the major highlight as Chennai tries to keep their momentum in line.
#5 Navdeep Saini
Saini will have a couple of scores to settle as RCB resumes their campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders. After not being chosen for the World Cup squad, if Saini will have to keep his fires burning, he will have to hit the preceding season’s form again. However, irrespective of the line and length, if there is one thing that this fast bowler can do consistently, that is bowl at 145 clicks. He focuses on pace and it is his brutal pace that can save the day for this young man. He has proven to be an excellent death bowler and will be a perfect accompaniment to Mohammed Siraj.
