IPL: Mystery Spinners - Rare Breed of Wizards!

Join us as we unravel the secrets of these spin wizards and discover what makes them a force to be reckoned with in the world of cricket while Sandeep Rana decodes the tale of "mystery spinners".

Image credit: Sandeep Rana

A Genuine Mystery Spinner: 

The term "mystery spinner" is often used to refer to spin bowlers with an unorthodox or unusual bowling action, making it challenging for the batsman to pick up the spin and trajectory of the ball. Imagine facing a bowler who can spin the ball in two different directions with the same action, leaving you guessing until the last moment. That's the enigma of a mystery spinner, a rare breed of cricketer whose unorthodox techniques and mind-boggling deliveries have left batters scratching their heads for decades. 

Image credit: Sandeep Rana

One ball, different direction
Batsmen often focus on the bowler's hand during the run-up and delivery stride to get a clue about the type of delivery they are likely to face. Mystery spinners use unorthodox techniques, different grip positions, and variations in spin to make their deliveries hard to pick. 

Mystery vs Normal Spinners in Cricket: Key Differences
On the other hand, regular spinners typically use their stock deliveries like an off-break, leg-break, or left-arm orthodox as their primary weapon. They may use subtle variations in flight, length, or spin to deceive the batter.

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On the other hand, mystery spinners have more variations and unorthodox techniques that make them harder to predict and read. They may have deliveries like the topspin, the googly, and the flipper in their arsenal, which are not commonly used by regular spinners.

Image credit: Sandeep Rana

What are the different variations?
Off-break: This delivery spins from the off side towards the leg side for a right-handed batter. It is the stock delivery of an off-spinner.

Doosra: This delivery spins in the opposite direction to the off-break. It is a difficult delivery to bowl as it requires the bowler to turn the ball with their fingers in the opposite direction to their standard action.

Leg-break: This delivery spins from the leg side towards the off side for a right-handed batter. It is the stock delivery of a leg-spinner.

Googly: This delivery resembles a leg-break but spins in the opposite direction, like a doosra. It is a difficult delivery to bowl as it requires the bowler to bowl with a different wrist position and spin the ball in the opposite direction to their regular action.

Top-spinner: This delivery has a forward spin, which makes the ball bounce higher and faster than an expected delivery. It isn't easy to pick as it looks like a standard delivery but has more bounce and pace.

Carrom ball: This delivery is released from the back of the hand, with the fingers flicking the ball like a carrom board striker. It is a difficult delivery to pick as it skids off the pitch and doesn't spin much.

Slider: This is a delivery that skids through quickly without spinning much. Leg spinners often use it as a variation to their stock delivery.

Image credit: Sandeep Rana

All-time IPL Mystery Bowlers
Sunil Narine: This West Indian sensation is the best spinner his country has ever produced, and former two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) knows that well. With his fantastic bowling skills, Narine has won the two Indian Premier League (IPL) titles for his team. He can outsmart any batsman in the world with his mysterious spin variations. And guess what? He even bowled a maiden over in a super over! That's what we call a genuine mystery bowler.

Varun Chakravarthy: The most expensive uncapped player in IPL history. Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) management shocked everyone when they bought him for a whopping ₹8.7 crores! But there's a reason behind it. Varun can bowl seven different types of deliveries, and if he manages to trick a batter once in an over, he could win the purple cap for most wickets in the tournament. Batters, beware! You'll have to use your brains to the extreme to pick this mystery man.

Suyash Sharma: The new kid on the block who made his IPL debut for Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2023 season. With his unusual bowling action and variations, he caught everyone's attention with an impressive performance against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Sharma picked up three wickets and gave away only 18 runs in his four overs. He may be a relatively unknown player, but he has already made a mark in the IPL and is someone to watch out for in the upcoming matches.

Ajantha Mendis: This former Sri Lankan cricketer was known for his unorthodox spin bowling and introduced the world to the carrom ball and the doosra. He played for a few teams in IPL and picked up 40 wickets in 31 matches.

Kamran Khan: The left-arm fast bowler the legendary Shane Warne discovered during IPL 2009. Kamran was a mystery bowler, and Warne was known for finding hidden talent and making them shine.

So there you have it, folks, our top five all-time IPL mystery spin bowlers. They may differ in their styles, but they all have one thing in common - the ability to make batters go crazy with their spin variations.