IPL 2022: Predicting 3 bowlers who will have 20+ wickets this season 

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a bottomless pit of talented bowlers who showcase their prowess game after game. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada and Rashid Khan are some of the superstar bowlers who have graced the tournament.

The ongoing IPL 2022 has seen some match-winning bowling performances already. This includes the roaring opening spells of Umesh Yadav and the accuracy and precision of Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav in the middle overs. Bowlers have made lives difficult for the opposition batters yet again this season.

There's stiff competition in the wicket-takers chart in the IPL this season as well, with many strike bowlers keeping an eye on the Purple Cap. Furthermore, the prevailing IPL season will feature 74 matches in total, compared to the usual 60 games in previous seasons. This enhances opportunities for bowlers to take more wickets this season.

On that note, let's predict the three bowlers who will breach the 20+ wickets mark in the ongoing 15th edition of the IPL.

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#1. Yuzvendra Chahal (Rajasthan Royals)

Just like in his days with Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chahal is proving to be a potent weapon for his new franchise, Rajasthan Royals (RR). The leg-spinner has owned the middle phase of the game and has delivered every time Sanju Samson has thrown the ball to him so far.

The 31-year-old has started his career with the Royals on a high-flying note. He was the pick of the bowlers against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), scalping three wickets at an economy of 5.5. He then struck two blows on consecutive deliveries to haunt the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Match no. 9.

Chahal has picked up 12 wickets in five games so far for RR and is currently leading the queue for the Purple Cap in IPL 2022. He also has the best bowling average in the league so far, picking up a wicket in every 11.33 balls. If he continues to strike at this rate, he will easily be the fastest to get 20 wickets this season.

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#2. T. Natarajan (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Tamil Nadu-born T. Natarajan has been the most impactful bowler for SRH this season, being their highest wicket-taker so far. Interestingly, he had a two-wicket haul in all first four games in IPL 2022 before scalping three against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Friday.

An ideal death bowler who possesses precise yorkers, Natarajan even showed he can do the talking with the new ball this season. His dismissals of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Venkatesh Iyer were pure signs of him being a quintessential left-arm pacer.

With 11 wickets in five encounters, Natarajan stands right behind Chahal and can easily breach the 20+ wicket mark for the first time in his career.

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#3. Wanindu Hasaranga (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Filling the big void left by Chahal in the RCB setup, Wanindu Hasaranga has been utterly successful for the Bangalore-based franchise so far. After being picked for a hefty sum of ₹10.75 cr at the mega auction, the Sri Lankan has already bamboozled some opposition batters with his guile.

He went for a few runs (40) in the opening fixture against the Punjab Kings (PBKS). However, Hasaranga rattled the KKR batting line-up in his next match when he captured his first four-wicket haul in the IPL. The effort even prompted Chahal, the man he has seamlessly replaced in RCB, to tweet:

“Wanindu Hasaranga champion”.

The wily leg-spinner holds one of the most lethal googlies in world cricket. So far, he is yet to go wicketless in any of RCB's fixtures in IPL 2022, picking up 10 wickets in five games.

His habit of picking up a wicket in every 15 balls makes him a rather inevitable contender to reach the 20-wicket mark. With the likelihood that pitches will deteriorate as the league progresses, it will make Hasaranga even more dangerous to deal with.