#OST On Second thoughts, is Amit Mishra the greatest IPL spinner?
The 37-year-old leg spinner has been part of the Indian Premier league from its commencement in 2008. When it comes to IPL, Mishra ensures he brings in his A game and his performance over the years have been a testament to that.
Since 2008, Mishra has played 149 matches and has picked up 159 wickets at a strike rate of 19.8. His wicket tally puts him in the second place amongst the leading wicket takers list in IPL. In the previous edition of IPL, he dismissed Rohit Sharma and became the first Indian and second bowler to pick 150 wickets in IPL.
With 159 wickets, he is just a dozen wickets away from becoming the leading wicket-taker in the Indian Premier League. With the glitzy Malinga opting out this season, the eternally-reserved Mishra has a very good chance of becoming the leading wicket-taker in IPL.
Leading wicket-takers in IPL
| Player | Inns | Wickets | Econ | SR |
| Lasith Malinga | 122 | 170 | 7.14 | 16.6 |
| Amit Mishra | 149 | 159 | 7.34 | 19.8 |
| Piyush Chawla | 159 | 154 | 7.84 | 20.7 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 157 | 150 | 7.05 | 22.4 |
| DJ Bravo | 131 | 147 | 8.39 | 17.5 |
In the 13 seasons of IPL, Mishra has been part of three franchises. Starting his career in the then Delhi Daredevils in 2008, he moved on to Deccan Chargers in 2011 and subsequently played for SRH till 2014. It was in 2015 that he made a comeback to his home team and has continued representing Delhi Capitals till now.
Amit Mishra – IPL team-wise performance
| Team | Years | Inn | Wickets | Ave | Econ | SR |
| Delhi Capitals | 2008-10, 2015* | 94 | 99 | 24.08 | 7.34 | 19.7 |
| Deccan Chargers | 2011-12 | 28 | 32 | 22.97 | 7.33 | 18.81 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2013-14 | 27 | 28 | 26.21 | 7.38 | 21.32 |
*Present team
The Delhi veteran has picked up not one not two, but three hattricks in IPL. He is the first and only bowler to pick up three hattricks in IPL. His first hattrick came in 2008 and then followed it up by picking a hattrick every two years in 2011 and 2013.
Amit Mishra is the first bowler and only spinner to pick three hattricks in the history of T20s [T20s + T20Is]. Andrew Tye is the other bowler to pick three hattricks in T20s.
Amit Mishra’s Hattricks in IPL
| Season | Opposition | Victims |
| 2008 | Deccan Chargers | D Ravi Teja |
| Pragyan Ojha | ||
| RP Singh | ||
| 2011 | KXIP | R McLaren |
| Mandeep Singh | ||
| Ryan Harris | ||
| 2013 | PWI | Bhuvneshwar Kumar |
| Rahul Sharma | ||
| Ashoke Dinda |
His first hattrick in 2008 helped him register bowling figures of 5/17 which is his best performance in IPL till date. His spell is also one of the best bowling figures by a spinner in IPL history.
Best bowling figures by a spinner in IPL
| Player | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Opposition |
| Adam Zampa (RPS) | 4 | 19 | 6 | SRH |
| Anil Kumble (RCB) | 3.1 | 5 | 5 | RR |
| Ravindra Jadeja (CSK) | 4 | 16 | 5 | Deccan Chargers |
| Amit Mishra (DC) | 4 | 17 | 5 | Deccan Chargers |
| Harbhajan Singh (MI) | 4 | 18 | 5 | CSK |
| Sunil Narine (KKR) | 4 | 19 | 5 | KXIP |
Mishra is not only amongst the wickets but is also close to creating a new record in IPL. As a nod to his ODI and T20I jersey number, Mishra has picked up 99 wickets so far for Delhi Capitals in IPL. He is the leading wicket taker for DC followed by Morne Morkel who trails Mishra by a good 54 wickets.
Also Read: On second thoughts, is David Warner the greatest IPL player?
Most wickets for Delhi in IPL
| Player | Inn | Wickets |
| Amit Mishra | 94 | 99 |
| Morne Morkel | 37 | 45 |
| Umesh Yadav | 46 | 43 |
| Chris Morris | 34 | 41 |
| Shahbaz Nadeem | 59 | 40 |
The veteran leg spinner is one wicket away from picking his 100th IPL wicket for Delhi. If he manages to do so, which he will for sure, he will become the fourth spinner and seventh bowler to pick 100 wickets for one team in IPL.
Most wickets for a team in IPL
| Player | Inn | Wickets |
| Lasith Malinga [MI] | 122 | 170 |
| Harbhajan Singh [MI] | 134 | 127 |
| Sunil Narine [KKR] | 112 | 124 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar [SRH] | 89 | 111 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal [RCB] | 85 | 105 |
| DJ Bravo [CSK] | 86 | 104 |
| Amit Mishra [DC] | 94 | 99 |
If Mishra manages to maintain the same set of standards that he has set for himself, he has a very good chance of leading DC to a playoff berth. Not many players last till the age of 37, but based on his performances over the years, he has proved that age is just a number. He is still going strong as ever and will finish as one of the greatest, if not the greatest spinner in IPL history.
Disclaimer: The above-mentioned stats were taken before the start of CSK vs SRH, 14th match of IPL 2020