Former India batter Aakash Chopra has demanded the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the organisers of the Indian Premier League (IPL), introduce
a brand-new award given to the bowler who has the best economy rate in the tournament ahead of its 2026 edition, which gets underway on Saturday, March 28.
In the age where the bowlers have very little to play for in the T20 game, Chopra’s suggestion is arguably quite sensible. Despite the ever-increasing reliance on hard-hitting batters, it is still the quality of the bowling which wins the tournament, like how Jasprit Bumrah spearheaded India to two back-to-back T20 World Cups.
"I would say you should keep one because this has become a slightly batter-friendly sport, and in that, many times the most economical bowler wins you the match. In fact, even if you remember, against England, that six-run 18th over from Bumrah changed the game. That won you the semi-final. So I am with you on that one," Chopra said in a video on his official YouTube channel.
Modern-day cricket has increasingly shifted towards being a batter-friendly format, if it weren't already. Last year saw as many as 18 scores of more than 220, with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) reaching upwards of 250, with their highest total being 286 against the Rajasthan Royals.
If Chopra's suggestion were to be implemented in 2025, Bumrah would have been the recipient. The pacer bowled at an economy rate of just 6.67 from 12 innings. Both Naman Dhir and Nuwan Tushara had better economies than the Mumbai Indians' stars, but they bowled in just two and one innings, respectively. Bumrah, meanwhile, took 18 wickets, the second-most for MI after Trent Boult, who took 22 scalps.
It is worth mentioning that even the best bowlers in the 2025 season went for stupendous amounts of runs despite taking crucial wickets. The average economy rate amongst the 10 highest wicket-takers last year was 8.41, which is quite high for that list.
The 2026 IPL commences on Saturday, March 28, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) taking on the high-scoring SRH side at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
