In T20 cricket, there are mistakes you recover from. And then there are no balls.
One overstep hands the batting side a free hit on the next delivery.
In a match where five runs can separate the teams, that’s not a minor error. It’s a free licence to swing.
So which bowlers have been most guilty of it across IPL history?
The answer throws up some familiar names, and at least one that will genuinely surprise you.
Bowlers With the Most No Balls in IPL History
Here’s the full list of bowlers with the most no balls in IPL history.
Why No Balls Hurt More in the IPL Than Anywhere Else?
A no ball in Test cricket adds one run to the total. Frustrating, but rarely decisive.
In the IPL, the damage compounds. First, there’s the extra delivery itself, an additional ball the bowling side didn’t budget for.
Then comes the free hit, where the batter can attack without any fear of dismissal (except run-out).
In the death overs, especially, that combination can swing a tight finish completely.
Fast bowlers overstep most often. The mechanics of pace bowling, driving hard off the front foot to generate speed, make it easier to cross the crease line.
Add nerves, fatigue, or the pressure of a close match, and even experienced bowlers lose that inch of control.
Top 5 Bowlers With the Most No Balls in IPL History
| Rank | Bowler | No Balls | Matches Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jasprit Bumrah | 39 | 155 |
| 2 | Umesh Yadav | 24 | 148 |
| 3 | S. Sreesanth | 23 | 44 |
| 4 | Ishant Sharma | 23 | 117 |
| 5 | Amit Mishra | 21 | 162 |
5. Amit Mishra (21 No Balls in 162 Matches)
Spinners rarely appear in lists like this. Mishra is the exception.
A leg-spinner’s action doesn’t generate the same front-foot force as pace bowling. There’s no hard charge to the crease.
Yet Mishra still picked up 21 no balls across a long career with Deccan Chargers, Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants, and Sunrisers Hyderabad between 2008 and 2024.
The volume explains it. He bowled 561.5 overs in the IPL, taking 174 wickets at 7.37 economy.
When you’ve delivered that many balls, a handful of overstepped deliveries is almost inevitable.
He also holds the record for the most hat-tricks in IPL history, with three. The no balls are a footnote in an otherwise impressive career.
4. Ishant Sharma (23 No Balls in 117 Matches)
Ishant Sharma has had a well-documented front-foot problem throughout his career.
At the international level, it cost him in Tests too.
The tall right-armer tends to drag his foot close to the line, and when he’s bowling at full tilt, he occasionally crosses it.
In 117 IPL appearances since 2008, he has taken 96 wickets at an economy of 8.37, bowling 403.1 overs with 23 no balls.
Ishant is still playing IPL cricket in 2026 with the Gujarat Titans.
3. S. Sreesanth (23 No Balls in 44 Matches)
The raw number looks similar to Ishant’s. The context is very different.
Sreesanth bowled 23 no balls in just 44 matches. That’s the highest frequency rate on this list by a distance.
He bowled 880 deliveries in total across stints with Punjab Kings, Kochi Tuskers, and Rajasthan Royals between 2007 and 2013.
His no balls also carry more history than most. During IPL 2013, he was accused of deliberately bowling no balls as part of a spot-fixing arrangement with the Rajasthan Royals.
He was subsequently banned. The accusation, the investigation, and the ban make his spot on this list impossible to discuss without that backdrop.
Whether down to intent or ordinary overstepping, Sreesanth remains the outlier here for both rate and controversy.
2. Umesh Yadav (24 No Balls in 148 Matches)
Umesh Yadav built his IPL reputation on raw pace. That same aggression made him prone to overstepping.
He played for four franchises across 14 seasons from 2010 to 2024, taking 144 wickets in 148 matches.
In 3,050 deliveries, he bowled 24 no balls. He was at his best during KKR’s title-winning 2014 season, picking up 11 wickets.
Yadav is the kind of bowler who generates extra pace by committing hard to his front-foot landing.
That commitment, more than anything, explains the no balls.
1. Jasprit Bumrah (39 No Balls in 155 Matches)
This one takes most fans by surprise. Bumrah is known for precision, not for overstepping.
Yet he holds the record. 39 no balls in 155 matches, more than any other bowler in IPL history, and the only one to cross 30.
The explanation lies in his action. Bumrah’s low-arm, slingy delivery style puts significant stress on his front foot.
He also bowls at maximum effort almost every time, particularly in the death overs where margins are tightest and the temptation to push harder is greatest.
None of this takes away from what he has built. 186 IPL wickets, five title wins with Mumbai Indians, and a record that makes him one of the most effective fast bowlers the tournament has produced.
The no balls are the cost of bowling at that intensity, across that many high-pressure finishes, for that long.
Which Bowler Has the Fewest No Balls in IPL History?
There is no official public database tracking the bowler with zero career no balls in the IPL.
Spinners, in general, record far fewer than pace bowlers, which is why only one spinner (Mishra) appears on this list.
If you’re looking for the cleanest pace bowling record relative to overs bowled, that granular data isn’t aggregated in a public format by the IPL Journal or ESPNcricinfo.
FAQs
- Q: Who has bowled the most no balls in IPL history?
Jasprit Bumrah, with 39 no balls across 155 IPL matches.
- Q: Which bowler has the worst no-ball rate in IPL history?
By frequency relative to matches played, S. Sreesanth bowled 23 no balls in just 44 matches, a much higher rate than anyone else on this list.
Q: Are no balls more common in T20 cricket than other formats?
The pressure of T20 cricket can push bowlers to overstep more, but no balls are a risk in all formats. The difference is the free hit rule, which makes a T20 no ball significantly more costly.
- Q: What is the highest number of no balls in a single IPL over?
This isn’t tracked as a top-level stat in publicly available IPL or ESPNcricinfo records. Individual breakdowns aren’t aggregated in one place.
- Q: Is Amit Mishra the only spinner with many no balls in IPL history?
He’s the only spinner in the all-time top five. Spinners rarely overstep because their action doesn’t require the same front-foot commitment as pace bowling.
- Q: Why does Bumrah bowl so many no balls despite being so accurate?
His low-arm slingy action puts extra pressure on his front-foot landing. Combined with bowling at maximum effort in high-stakes death overs, overstepping becomes more likely even for an elite technician.
Wrapping Up
No balls don’t get talked about much. They’re not in the highlights, and they rarely have their own post-match segment.
But across 18 seasons of the IPL, they have decided overs, shifted momentum, and occasionally ended careers.
This list of five bowlers, from a hat-trick specialist spinner to the most accurate fast bowler of his generation, shows that no one is completely immune.
Bumrah leads by a wide margin. Nobody else is close to 30.
Also Check:
- Best Bowlers in IPL History
- Fastest Bowlers in The World
- Most Wickets for New Zealand in T20Is
- Most Fan Following Cricketer in World
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