The record for the most maiden overs in IPL history belongs to two swing bowlers who reached it in very different ways. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Praveen Kumar have each bowled 14 maiden overs in the IPL, and no bowler has gone past that mark in 18 seasons of the league.
Fourteen sounds like a small number. In T20 cricket it is anything but. A bowler gets only four overs in an innings, and IPL batters attack from ball one. Six scoreless deliveries in a row can squeeze a team, force risky shots and turn matches. That is why this record is one of the most respected bowling marks in the league, and why it is held by men who mastered the new ball.
Most Maiden Overs in IPL Overview
| Record | Details |
|---|---|
| Record | Most maiden overs in an IPL career |
| Holders | Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Praveen Kumar (joint record) |
| Maiden overs | 14 each |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar IPL span | 2011 to 2026 |
| Praveen Kumar IPL span | 2008 to 2017 |
| Closest active bowler | Trent Boult, with 11 maidens |
Praveen Kumar set the mark of 14 during the first ten seasons of the IPL and retired with it intact. Bhuvneshwar Kumar then spent more than a decade chasing it and finally drew level, reaching 14 of his own. Two great swing bowlers, one shared record.
Top 10 Bowlers with Most Maiden Overs in IPL
| Rank | Bowler | Teams | Matches | Maiden Overs | Wickets | Economy Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | PWI, SRH, RCB | 206 | 14 | 226 | 7.71 |
| 1 | Praveen Kumar | RCB, KXIP, MI, SRH, GL | 119 | 14 | 90 | 7.72 |
| 3 | Trent Boult | SRH, KKR, DC, MI, RR | 125 | 11 | 145 | 8.49 |
| 4 | Irfan Pathan | KXIP, DD, SRH, RPS, GL | 103 | 10 | 80 | 7.78 |
| 5 | Dhawal Kulkarni | RR, GL, MI | 92 | 8 | 86 | 8.31 |
| 5 | Jasprit Bumrah | MI | 158 | 8 | 187 | 7.34 |
| 5 | Lasith Malinga | MI | 122 | 8 | 170 | 7.14 |
| 5 | Sandeep Sharma | KXIP, PBKS, RR, SRH | 143 | 8 | 151 | 8.16 |
| 9 | Dale Steyn | DCH, GL, RCB, SRH | 95 | 7 | 97 | 6.92 |
| 9 | Deepak Chahar | CSK, RPS, MI | 103 | 7 | 96 | 8.30 |
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the only bowler on this list who is still adding to his tally, so the joint record could become his outright one day. His 14 maidens sit alongside a fine career haul of 226 wickets, and he remains among the all time leaders for most dot balls in IPL. He also won the Purple Cap in back to back seasons, 2016 and 2017, which tells you his control was never a one season story.
Praveen Kumar remains the efficiency king of this record. He bowled the same 14 maidens in only 119 matches, 87 fewer than Bhuvneshwar needed. His swing with the new ball made him nearly unplayable on helpful tracks in the early IPL years, and his record survived untouched after his last season in 2017.
Trent Boult is the leading overseas bowler here with 11 maidens. Like the two men above him, he is a swing bowler who attacks with the new ball in the powerplay. Irfan Pathan, another swing bowler, completes the top four with 10. The pattern is clear. Maidens in the IPL belong to bowlers who move the ball early and land it on the same spot six times in a row.
The five way tie at eight maidens is interesting in its own right. Dhawal Kulkarni reached it in just 92 matches, the fewest on the list apart from the top three. Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga earned theirs mostly at the death, the hardest phase of the game to keep scoreless, which makes their eight maidens as valuable as any on this list.
Most Maiden Overs in a Single IPL Season
The single season record also belongs to Praveen Kumar. He bowled five maiden overs in IPL 2011 for Kings XI Punjab, and no bowler has matched it since. In a league where batters now score at record pace, that 2011 mark has stood for 15 years. The closest anyone has come in recent times is Trent Boult, with three maidens for Rajasthan Royals in 2023.
| Season | Bowler | Team | Maidens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Manpreet Gony | CSK | 3 |
| 2011 | Praveen Kumar | KXIP | 5 |
| 2023 | Trent Boult | RR | 3 |
| 2024 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | SRH | 2 |
Even rarer than a season haul is a double maiden in one match. Mohammed Siraj was the first bowler to bowl two maiden overs in a single IPL innings, for RCB against KKR in 2020, with figures of 4 overs, 2 maidens, 8 runs and 3 wickets. Harshal Patel repeated the feat in 2022, also for RCB and also against KKR. It remains one of the great outliers among the best bowling figures in IPL history.
What This Record Tells Us
First, maidens reward a very specific skill set. Every bowler in the top four is a new ball swing bowler. Pace alone does not produce maidens in the IPL. Movement, tight lengths and the nerve to keep attacking do. Spinners barely feature at all. Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra are the only spinners with even six maidens, which underlines how hard it is to bowl six scoreless balls once the ball stops swinging.
Second, the numbers show how tough the modern game is on bowlers. Praveen Kumar set the single season record of five maidens in 2011. Since then, the league has only become more batter friendly, and no one has gone past three in a season. The career record of 14 has also frozen since Bhuvneshwar drew level. Control is still possible, but the margin for it keeps shrinking.
Third, maidens and wickets go together more often than you would think. Bhuvneshwar, Malinga, Bumrah and Boult are all among the leading wicket takers of their eras. A scoreless over builds pressure, pressure forces mistakes, and mistakes bring wickets. That link is why maiden overs sit so close to the most wickets in IPL history conversation, and why the best economy rate records in IPL often belong to the same names.
Statistics updated through: 22 October 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has bowled the most maiden overs in IPL history?
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Praveen Kumar jointly hold the record with 14 maiden overs each. Bhuvneshwar reached 14 in 206 matches across a career from 2011 to 2026, while Praveen bowled his 14 in only 119 matches between 2008 and 2017.
What is the record for most maiden overs in a single IPL season?
Praveen Kumar holds it with five maiden overs in IPL 2011 for Kings XI Punjab. No bowler has matched that tally in any season since.
Has any bowler bowled two maiden overs in one IPL match?
Yes, twice. Mohammed Siraj was the first, for RCB against KKR in 2020 with figures of 4 overs, 2 maidens, 8 runs and 3 wickets. Harshal Patel repeated it in 2022, also for RCB and also against KKR.
Which spinner has the most maiden overs in IPL?
Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra share the spinner record with six maidens each. Maidens are much harder for spinners, who bowl after the new ball stops swinging.
Who is the leading overseas bowler for maiden overs?
Trent Boult of New Zealand leads overseas bowlers with 11 maiden overs. Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka is next among overseas players with 8.
Why are maiden overs so rare in T20 cricket?
A bowler gets only four overs, batters attack almost every ball, boundaries are short and pitches usually favour batting. Six scoreless balls in a row needs perfect length and movement, which is why even great bowlers like Dale Steyn managed only seven maidens in 95 matches.
Has the single season record ever been broken?
No. Praveen Kumar set it with five maidens in 2011 and it still stands. The closest recent challenge was Trent Boult with three maidens in 2023.
How many maidens has Jasprit Bumrah bowled in the IPL?
Jasprit Bumrah has bowled 8 maiden overs in 158 matches. The number stands out because he bowls most of his overs at the death, when keeping batters scoreless is at its hardest.
