Traditional finger spinners, it was felt, didn’t have much to offer in T20 cricket. Batsmen could simply line up the trajectory of the ball and slog sweep or play through the line.
And for many years, it became the guiding principal for many teams as wrist spinners became the main slow bowlers in white ball cricket and plain old off-spinners and left-arm spinners started to get pushed to the sidelines.
But the ongoing edition of the IPL has witnessed a resurgence of the finger spinners with those type of bowlers not only picking up wickets but also maintaining a superb economy rate.
The slow nature of some wickets have contributed in some good numbers for spinners but credit must be given to finger spinners for keeping themselves relevant in the cut-throat world of T20 cricket.
Here were take a look at four such bowlers.
HARBHAJAN SINGH (CSK)
Matches: 3, Overs: 12, Wickets: 5, Economy: 5.5
Harbhajan Singh to Chris Gayle in T20
— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) April 6, 2019
Balls 126
Runs 111
Wickets 5
Run Rate 5.28
Average 22.20 @ChennaiIPL @lionsdenkxip #IPL #CSKvKXIP
The Chennai off-spinner has enjoyed the sluggish surface of Chepauk, getting good purchase off the surface to help the Super Kings make a strong start to the campaign. The off-spinner has bowled at the perfect pace which has stopped batsmen like Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle from going after him. Two man-of-the-match performances in three games, including a double wicket maiden against Kings XI Punjab.
MOHAMMAD NABI (SRH)
Matches: 3, Overs: 12, Wickets: 7, Economy: 3.75
The Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder has been so good he has kept a veteran like Shakib Al Hasan out of the Playing XI. His nagging off-spinners have accounted for seven wickets in three games, including a devastating 4-11 on a good Hyderabad pitch against RCB. The Afghan all-rounder has been used up front by Sunrisers, which makes his economy of 3.75 even more remarkable. Plus, has bowled twice on a decent batting surface in Hyderabad, which means he can be even more devastating on a truly helpful pitch.
RAVI ASHWIN (KXIP)
Ravi Ashwin. Image – BCCI/SPORTZPICS.
Matches: 5, Overs: 20, Wickets: 6, Economy: 7.3
The Kings XI Punjab skipper doesn’t have many fans outside India at the moment after his ‘Mankading’ of Rajasthan Royals batsman Jos Buttler, but his bowling deserves praise. The off-spinner was the first to talk about the relevance of finger spinners in the T20 game and has put in performances to back his claim. Had one bad game against Kolkata and has conceded less than 30 three times.
RAVINDRA JADEJA
Matches: 5, Overs: 16, Wickets: 4, Economy: 5.9
The Chennai left-arm spinner is a favourite of captains in any limited overs format as his tight lines and rocket arm from the deep make him a highly valuable asset. This year, Jadeja has kept it quiet and has been crucial in skipper MS Dhoni’s spin-based attack.
The left-arm spinner has already found favour in the national team where he is deemed to be good enough in the squad just for his fielding. Bound to put in a crucial batting performance at some point.
