Best bowler – Lakshmipathy Balaji
While some other bowlers such as Johnson, Parvinder Awana and Thisara Perera will important for the side this year, Balaji will need to step up.
Balaji is the first bowler to take a hat-trick in the IPL. His open-chested action, combined with a tendency to bowl wide from the crease, lulls batsmen into believing that the ball will come in with the arm.
In 2012, he had a stunning IPL, leading all bowlers in economy rate. He also earned a comeback to the Indian national team for the World Twenty20.
Last season as solid but not spectacular, however, in the right conditions, Balaji could still be a match-winner for the Kings this season.
IPL career stats
Bowling
Mat | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | |
Career | 64 | 1307 | 1730 | 64 | 5/24 | 27.03 | 7.94 | 20.42 | 2 | 1 |
2013 | 13 | 300 | 387 | 12 | 3/19 | 32.25 | 7.74 | 25.00 | 0 | 0 |
2012 | 8 | 179 | 163 | 11 | 4/18 | 14.81 | 5.46 | 16.27 | 1 | 0 |
2011 | 14 | 266 | 371 | 10 | 3/15 | 37.10 | 8.36 | 26.60 | 0 | 0 |
2010 | 7 | 140 | 207 | 7 | 2/9 | 29.57 | 8.87 | 20.00 | 0 | 0 |
2009 | 13 | 224 | 316 | 13 | 4/21 | 24.30 | 8.46 | 17.23 | 1 | 0 |
2008 | 9 | 198 | 286 | 11 | 5/24 | 26.00 | 8.66 | 18.00 | 0 | 1 |
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