In a season where batters have been setting records at will, where 265-run chases and six centuries have already happened before the halfway stage, the bowlers who have managed to cut through the carnage deserve special recognition. IPL 2026 has been brutal on bowling attacks, but on their best days, individual bowlers have produced spells that belong among the finest in the tournament’s history.
Here is a list of the best bowling figures in IPL 2026 so far.
1. Mohsin Khan (LSG): 5/23 vs KKR: The First and Only Five-Wicket Haul of IPL 2026
The best bowling figures in IPL 2026 have been registered by Lucknow Super Giants’ Mohsin Khan, who scalped 5 for 23 against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on April 26. It was the first five-wicket haul of the season and remains the only one.
Mohsin delivered career-best figures of 5 for 23 in four overs, dismantling KKR’s batting lineup early and reducing them to 73 for six after 11 overs. The wickets were spread across the entire innings. He dismissed Tim Seifert in the first over, Ajinkya Rahane in the fourth over, Rovman Powell for a duck in the third over, Cameron Green, who had threatened with three sixes, in the 11th over, and Anukul Roy for a golden duck to complete the five-wicket haul.
Mohsin’s performance was defined by his ability to extract variable bounce from the black soil surface, removing KKR’s top order before returning to snip the dangerous Green partnership in the middle overs. He bowled one maiden over, took a wicket in each of his four overs, and finished with an economy of 5.75, making it one of the most controlled five-wicket spells seen in IPL history at a time when economy below 9 in this season is considered impressive.
2. Josh Hazlewood (RCB): 4/12 vs DC
Josh Hazlewood registered figures of 4 for 12 against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 27, helping RCB bowl DC out for just 75 in what became the lowest total of IPL 2026.
The context makes this spell even more remarkable. Delhi Capitals had posted 264 in their previous game at the same venue just two days earlier, yet against Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s combined new-ball assault, they collapsed to 8 for 6 inside 3.5 overs.
Hazlewood dismissed KL Rahul with a deceptive short ball in the first delivery of his second over, removed Sameer Rizvi for a golden duck off the very next ball with Test match length, then returned to dismiss Nitish Rana and Abhishek Porel. Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar became the first pair of bowlers in IPL history to each claim three wickets inside the powerplay in the same game. DC’s 13 for 6 at the end of the powerplay became the lowest ever powerplay score in a full IPL innings.
3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB): 3/5 vs DC: The Most Economical Spell of IPL 2026
In the same match, Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled what stands as the most economical significant spell of IPL 2026, returning 3 for 5 in four overs as RCB dismantled Delhi Capitals for 75.
Bhuvneshwar’s opening spell saw him dismiss debutant Sahil Parakh with a venomous inswinging yorker off the second ball of the game, and he then added Tristan Stubbs and Axar Patel in his second over to leave DC in complete disarray. Three for 5 in a T20 match at any level is a remarkable return. In the context of IPL 2026, a season where 200-plus scores have become routine, it is one of the most astonishing bowling performances the tournament has ever seen.
4. Praful Hinge (SRH): 3/First Over on IPL Debut vs RR: History Made Ball One
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Praful Hinge marked his IPL debut in stunning fashion against Rajasthan Royals, becoming the first bowler in the tournament’s history to claim three wickets in the opening over of an innings.
The 24-year-old from Nagpur had never played a professional cricket match before his IPL debut. Walking out to bowl the first over of a match for SRH, he dismissed three of RR’s top order in the same over, a moment of immediate impact that no debutant in the IPL had ever produced in that specific way. His full figures in that match confirmed he was no one-over wonder.
5. Anshul Kamboj (CSK): Season’s Most Consistent Wicket-Taker
While five-wicket hauls grab the headlines, the sustained excellence of Anshul Kamboj over the full season deserves its own entry in any list of the best bowling performances of IPL 2026. Kamboj has taken 17 wickets in nine matches for CSK at an economy of 8.49, making him the joint-leading wicket-taker in the Purple Cap race alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
His best individual spell came against Mumbai Indians, where he claimed 3 for 32, dismissing three MI batters to restrict them to a chaseable total that CSK then hunted down comfortably. In a season where bowlers routinely go for 10 runs an over, Kamboj has maintained control while taking wickets at a rate that no other Indian fast bowler in the tournament has matched.
IPL 2026 Bowling in Context: What These Spells Mean in the Highest-Scoring Season in History
A total of 12 successful chases of targets above 200 have been recorded in IPL 2026, a number that has already exceeded the record for any previous season. In that environment, every wicket-taking spell carries an added weight. Mohsin’s five-for, Hazlewood’s 4 for 12 on a pitch that had produced 264 two days earlier, and Bhuvneshwar’s 3 for 5 are not just impressive figures. In IPL 2026, they are acts of remarkable skill against what is the most batting-friendly climate the tournament has ever produced.
Lucky Raina is a complete cricket writer chasing corporate dreams by day and cricket stories by night. Once a promising Under 16 cricketer, life took him down a different pitch but the love for the game never left.
