Punjab Kings have been one of the most loved teams in IPL history. One might say that since their owner happens to be one of the most popular Bollywood celebrities, but that isn’t the case.
Over the years, Punjab have been home to several world-class batsmen; be it Shaun Marsh, Yuvraj Singh, Kumar Sangakkara, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, Adam Gilchrist, Kl Rahul, Aaron Finch, and the Universal Boss Chris Gayle. Thus, bowlers have always found it difficult to bowl to them.
Punjab finds themselves in several batting records as well. However, they changed the name of their franchise earlier in 2021, and the Kings XI Punjab are now named Punjab Kings (PBKS). Despite the change of name, the franchise still remains the same, and so do the records.
Thus, this article looks at the top 10 bowlers who have picked up the most wickets against Punjab.
Most Wickets against PBKS in IPL
| Player | Innings | Wickets | BBI | Economy Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunil Narine | 27 | 36 | 5/19 | 7.01 |
| Umesh Yadav | 22 | 35 | 4/23 | 7.63 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 21 | 32 | 4/25 | 8.18 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 23 | 31 | 5/19 | 7.33 |
| Dwayne Bravo | 20 | 26 | 4/22 | 8.21 |
| Rashid Khan | 16 | 25 | 3/12 | 6.32 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 16 | 23 | 3/15 | 6.26 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 22 | 22 | 4/34 | 7.48 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 22 | 22 | 3/14 | 7.56 |
| Lasith Malinga | 14 | 22 | 4/22 | 8.00 |
Key Insights
While Umesh Yadav might not be one of the highest wicket-takers the league has seen, his record against Punjab is absolutely sensational. He has picked as many as 35 wickets against them, which are also the most by a bowler against an opponent in the tournament.
Over 19 opponent bowlers have taken 15 or more wickets against PBKS in the IPL.
Sunil Narine and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who are among the top five, share the best bowling figures against Punjab. Narine had the figures of 5 for 19 in a 2012 game, while Bhuvi produced the same figures in 2017.
Lakshmipathy Balaji and Munaf Patel are the other two bowlers with five-fors against PBKS in the IPL. Balaji returned with 5 for 24 in the inaugural edition, while Patel recorded figures of 5 for 21 in 2011.
