Harshal Patel equals record for taking most wickets in a season in IPL history

IPL 2021: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bowed out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 campaign with a closely-fought defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday. While it ended up being another trophy-less campaign for Bengaluru, there were a few positives to take from the journey, especially for Harshal Patel.

The RCB pacer truly emerged as the find of the season, not just for the franchise but also for the entire tournament, picking up a whopping 32 wickets in 15 matches. In doing so, Hashal went on to level the all-time IPL record set by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend Dwayne Bravo. Before Harshal, Bravo had held the record of picking the most number of wickets in an IPL season.

Harshal entered the match with 30 wickets to his name in 14 matches and with eyes set on breaking Bravo's record. The seamer finished the match against KKR with the figures of 2 for 19 in four overs. While Harshal was undeniably excellent with the ball, he could not claim that elusive third wicket in the match that would've taken him past Bravo.

Luck also played its role in Harshal not getting the 33rd wicket of the season. A miss-hit shot by Sunil Narine was dropped by RCB's Devdutt Padikkal in the final stages of the match. Had that catch been taken, Harshal would've broken Bravo's record.

Most wickets in an IPL season:

Harshal Patel (Royal Challengers Bangalore) – 32 wickets in IPL 2021

Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings) – 32 wickets in IPL 2013

Kagiso Rabada (Delhi Capitals) – 30 wickets in IPL 2020

Lasith Malinga (Mumbai Indians) – 28 wickets in IPL 2011

James Faulkner (Rajasthan Royals) – 28 wickets in IPL 2013

“I don't look at records. But in the context of the game, it would have been nice if he (Padikkal) had taken the catch. Maybe we could have gone a little closer. In terms of the game, that was probably an important wicket. In terms of records, it doesn’t matter much to me,” Harshal said in the post-match press conference about his performance.

Harshal had earlier become the first Indian bowler to claim 28 wickets or more in a single IPL season. He had gone past the tally of Jasprit Bumrah who had taken 27 wickets in the IPL 2020 season.