Kings XI Punjab pacer Andrew Tye finished as the leading wicket taker of the VIVO Indian Premier League 2018 as he ended the season with 24 wickets in just 14 matches.
After starting their season with a bang, bagging 5 wins in the first half of the campaign, KXIP faltered towards the business end of the league. But the Punjabi Kings still have their share of reasons to hold their heads up high; Tye’s Purple Cap being one of them.
Photo credit: BCCI/IPLT20.comAJ’s season did not have an ideal start as he went wicketless against Delhi Daredevils in the opener, conceding 36 runs in his 4-over quota. But he picked up from there and was consistently the go-to-man for Punjab ever since.
In a span of 4 matches, Andrew Tye notched three 4-wicket hauls against the likes of Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians.
His first four-fer, against Rajasthan, came in difficult circumstances as he was battling a personal loss. In the match against Kolkata where bowlers from both teams were smashed around the park, Tye stood out as he picked up his second 4-wicket haul of the season.
His season best figures came against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where he picked up 4 scalps at the cost of a mere 16 runs. In the process, Tye also ended up as Punjab’s leading wicket taker in a single season, eclipsing previous record holder S Sreesanth by 5 wickets.
Andrew Tye’s season ended with some extra icing on the cake as he recorded the most 4-wicket hauls picked up by any bowler in a single season.
Kings XI Punjab have plenty of positives to take back from this campaign, including the fact that they have formed a good core bowling unit with the likes of Ankit Rajpoot, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ravichandran Ashwin and AJ.
