Is Khaleel Ahmed the IPL's most underrated pacer?

Khaleel Ahmed

IMAGE: Statistically, Khaleel Ahmed ranks among the finest bowlers in the IPL since 2019, his first full-fledged season. With a wicket every 16.5 balls, he is as good as Jasprit Bumrah and pacers with the best strike rates. Photograph: BCCI

Chennai Super Kings pacer Khaleel Ahmed continued his fine run from the 2024 season with two crucial wickets against Delhi Capitals in the IPL match at Chepauk on Saturday.

The left-arm pacer scalped Jake Fraser McGurk and Sameer Rizvi for figures of 2 for 25 in four overs, at an economy rate of 6.20, as CSK lost to DC by 25 runs.

In IPL 2025, Ahmed has eight wickets, at an average of 15.00 and economy rate of 7.50, with best figures of 3 for 29. He is joint third in the wicket-takers’ list in the competition.

Statistically, he ranks among the finest bowlers in the IPL since 2019, his first full-fledged season. With a wicket every 16.5 balls, he is as good as Jasprit Bumrah and pacers with the best strike rates.

Among bowlers with 50-plus wickets during this period, only Andre Russell (11.5), Harshal Patel (14.8), Kagiso Rabada (15.3) and Mohamed Shami (16.4) have a better strike rate.
Since IPL 2019, he is the most successful left-arm pacer and is placed at number nine in the wicket-taking list since then, with 82 scalps in 60 matches, at an average of 23.93.

His numbers in the Powerplay and death (30 and 36 wickets respectively) are in league with Shami (45 in Powerplay and 54 at death).
This IPL season he got a wicket three out of four times in the first over. His victims include Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jake Fraser-McGurk.

He has four wickets in the powerplay, with a strike rate of 16.5 and an economy rate of 6.91. Though he does not have a wicket in the middle-overs (overs 7-15), he has a stunning economy rate of just 4.00.

In the death overs (16-20), he has four wickets, at a strike rate of 6.0 and economy of 10.00.

Coming to the match, DC won the toss and elected to bat first. After losing Jake Fraser McGurk early, a 54-run stand between KL Rahul and Abishek Porel (33 in 20 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and KL's 56-run stand with Sameer Rizwi (20 in 15 balls, with a four and six) kept DC at a healthy run rate. KL scored his first fifty in DC colours, scoring 77 in 51 balls, with six fours and three sixes. Tristan Stubbs (24* in 12 balls, with two fours and a six) played a fiery cameo towards the end, helping DC finish at 183/6 in 20 overs.