| 1 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar SRH / RCB / Pune Warriors | 25 First-Over Wickets India's swing king leads all IPL bowlers with 25 wickets taken when bowling the first over, out of 190 career matches. Bhuvneshwar's ability to swing the ball both ways against freshly-arrived openers, hit the top of off-stump and generate edges in the very first over has made him the most dangerous new-ball bowler in IPL history. He holds the IPL record for most wickets taken in the first six powerplay overs (72). | SRH, RCB, PWI | 7.69 | 190 | 198 |
| 2 | Trent Boult MI / DC / KKR / SRH / RR | 25 First-Over Wickets New Zealand's left-arm swing specialist has taken 25 first-over wickets across five franchises, equal to Bhuvneshwar. Boult's ability to angle the ball into right-handers and then shape it away late, combined with his accuracy and ability to find top edges, makes him an equally devastating opening bowler — as he proved when opening for Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians. | MI, DC, KKR, SRH, RR | 8.29 | 119 | 143 |
| 3 | Praveen Kumar RCB / KXIP / MI / SRH / GL | 15 First-Over Wickets India's veteran swing specialist claimed 15 first-over wickets in 119 IPL matches, using his natural away-swing and seam movement to trouble openers in the very first delivery. Praveen was often handed the new ball due to his ability to move the ball in both directions, making him a genuine powerplay threat in the tournament's early seasons. | RCB, KXIP, MI, SRH, GL | 7.73 | 119 | 90 |
| 4 | Sandeep Sharma KXIP / SRH / RR / MI | 13 First-Over Wickets Sandeep Sharma has taken 13 first-over wickets in his IPL career, with his swinging deliveries at medium pace proving particularly effective against aggressive openers who come looking to attack from ball one. His ability to swing the ball into right-handers and deceive with subtle changes of angle made him a consistent powerplay threat. | KXIP, SRH, RR, MI | 8.1 | 130 | 115 |
| 5 | Zaheer Khan MI / DD / RCB | 12 First-Over Wickets India's legendary left-arm pacer claimed 12 wickets in his first-over deliveries across 100 IPL matches. Zaheer's ability to angle the ball into right-handers, generate awkward movement and bowl a surprise bouncer in the very first over made him one of the most threatening new-ball bowlers of the IPL's early seasons. | MI, DD, RCB | 7.59 | 100 | 102 |
| 6 | Lasith Malinga Mumbai Indians | 11 First-Over Wickets Despite operating primarily at the death, Malinga still claimed 11 first-over wickets when given the new ball by Mumbai Indians. His unique sling-arm action and full-length deliveries were just as deceptive to openers facing him for the first time as they were to tail-enders in the final over. | MI | 7.14 | 122 | 170 |
| 7 | Mohammed Shami DD / KKR / PBKS / GT | 11 First-Over Wickets India's swing and seam specialist has taken 11 first-over wickets across his IPL career, with his ability to generate late swing at pace against fresh openers producing crucial early wickets, particularly during his Purple Cap campaign for Gujarat Titans in 2023. | DD, KKR, PBKS, GT | 8.03 | 105 | 120 |
| 8 | Deepak Chahar CSK / RR | 10 First-Over Wickets India's reverse-swing specialist has taken 10 first-over wickets, often opening the bowling for CSK. Deepak's ability to swing the ball at medium pace and bowl at the top of the crease, combined with sharp seam position, has made him one of the finest new-ball bowlers in IPL cricket in recent seasons. | CSK, RR | 7.79 | 84 | 85 |
| 9 | Jasprit Bumrah Mumbai Indians | 10 First-Over Wickets Despite being used most regularly at the death, Bumrah has still taken 10 first-over wickets when given the new ball for Mumbai Indians. His unique action, ability to generate awkward movement from a full length and exceptional accuracy make him equally devastating with the brand new ball. | MI | 7.24 | 145 | 183 |
| 10 | Kagiso Rabada DD / DC / PBKS / KKR | 10 First-Over Wickets South Africa's pace spearhead has taken 10 first-over wickets, most memorably during DC's 2020 IPL campaign when his pace and bounce in the powerplay was virtually unplayable. Rabada's ability to generate awkward bounce from a good-length delivery makes him particularly threatening with the new ball. | DD, DC, PBKS, KKR | 8.34 | 90 | 120 |
| 11 | Ashish Nehra MI / CSK / DC / SRH / GL / RCB | 9 First-Over Wickets India's veteran left-arm swing bowler was regularly given the first over due to his ability to create awkward angles for right-handers, claiming 9 first-over wickets across six franchises. His late-swinging deliveries in the opening over set the tone for many bowling performances across his IPL career. | MI, CSK, DC, SRH, GL, RCB | 7.83 | 88 | 105 |
| 12 | Dhawal Kulkarni MI / RR / GL | 9 First-Over Wickets Mumbai's swing bowler claimed 9 first-over wickets through his ability to generate swing and seam movement at medium-left pace. A reliable new-ball option for Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals, Kulkarni's tight line and length in the opening over often set up good bowling sessions. | MI, RR, GL | 8.3 | 92 | 86 |
| 13 | Mitchell Starc KKR | 9 First-Over Wickets Australia's express left-arm pacer, despite playing only one full IPL season for KKR in 2024, claimed 9 first-over wickets through his ability to swing the ball at high pace and target the stumps from a full length. His record-breaking auction price (Rs 24.75 crore) reflected his value as a powerplay weapon. | KKR | 8.6 | 13 | 17 |
| 14 | Irfan Pathan KXIP / DC / RPS / GL / SRH | 8 First-Over Wickets India's classic left-arm swing bowler claimed 8 first-over wickets through his ability to swing the ball away from right-handers and generate leading edges off the outside edge. Irfan's natural outswing made him a regular powerplay option across multiple franchises. | KXIP, DC, RPS, GL, SRH | 7.77 | 103 | 80 |
| 15 | Andrew Tye KXIP / GT / RR / DC | 8 First-Over Wickets Australia's variations specialist claimed 8 first-over wickets, often surprising openers with early back-of-the-hand slower balls and angled deliveries. His 2018 Purple Cap season saw him open the bowling effectively for Kings XI Punjab, creating crucial powerplay breakthroughs. | KXIP, GT, RR, DC | 8.54 | 55 | 64 |
| 16 | Dale Steyn RCB / DC / SRH / GL | 7 First-Over Wickets South Africa's pace legend claimed 7 first-over wickets in 95 IPL matches. Steyn's express pace and late-inswing deliveries from a full length regularly found the edges of opening batsmen before they had time to settle, making him one of the most feared new-ball bowlers in the tournament's first decade. | RCB, DC, SRH, GL | 6.91 | 95 | 97 |
| 17 | Umesh Yadav DD / RCB / KKR / GT | 7 First-Over Wickets The Chhattisgarh express claimed 7 first-over wickets through sheer pace, regularly generating the sharp bounce and angle that troubled openers in the powerplay. His ability to nip the ball off the seam at high pace made him a consistent new-ball threat for multiple franchises. | DD, RCB, KKR, GT | 8.72 | 137 | 143 |
| 18 | R Vinay Kumar RCB / KKR / SRH | 7 First-Over Wickets Karnataka's reliable medium-pacer claimed 7 first-over wickets across his career, with his accurate swing and seam bowling providing consistent powerplay breakthroughs for three franchises. He was one of the most regularly used first-over bowlers in the IPL's early seasons. | RCB, KKR, SRH | 8.8 | 92 | 101 |
| 19 | Mohammed Siraj RCB / GT | 6 First-Over Wickets India's red-ball star has taken 6 first-over wickets, most memorably during RCB's 2025 title-winning campaign where his powerplay accuracy and late swing provided crucial early wickets against some of the tournament's most aggressive openers. | RCB, GT | 9 | 85 | 90 |
| 20 | Jaydev Unadkat KKR / RR / PBKS / SRH / MI | 6 First-Over Wickets Gujarat's left-arm pacer claimed 6 first-over wickets across multiple franchises, with his natural left-arm angle and ability to swing the ball into right-handers making him a reliable new-ball option whenever captains trusted him to open the attack. | KKR, RR, PBKS, SRH, MI | 8.75 | 100 | 105 |