He’s not a regular in the national team, but in domestic cricket, he’s a symbol of reliability. Indian cricket has seen quite a few such players — Wasim Jaffer being a prime example, having spent the majority of his career in the domestic circuit. Another name that fits that mould is Harshal Patel.
Though his international career hasn’t been very long, Harshal Patel has built a strong reputation in the IPL and Indian domestic cricket. As a fast bowler, he has twice won the Purple Cap for being the highest wicket-taker in an IPL season — once in 2021 with Royal Challengers Bangalore, taking 32 wickets, and again in 2024 with Punjab Kings, taking 24 wickets.
On Monday, the consistent pacer etched his name into the record books by breaking a notable record held by IPL legend Lasith Malinga. Harshal, now playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad, became the fastest bowler in IPL history to reach 150 wickets in terms of balls bowled. He reached the milestone in the 16th over of the Lucknow innings by dismissing Aiden Markram.
This achievement is measured by several deliveries. Malinga took 2,444 balls to reach 150 IPL wickets, while Harshal got there in just 2,381 balls. Yuzvendra Chahal, who sits third on the list, reached the 150-wicket mark in 2,543 deliveries.
In terms of innings, however, Malinga still holds the record — he took 150 wickets in just 105 innings. Harshal reached the same mark in 114 innings, while Chahal took 117 innings.
The 34-year-old Harshal has an average of 23.46 runs per wicket. In Monday’s match, he bowled four overs, conceding 49 runs and taking one wicket. So far this season, he has claimed 15 wickets.
UA / TDS
