Chris Woakes

Chris Woakes IPL career highlights the English seamer’s ability to swing the new ball and nail yorkers at the death. First appearing with Kolkata Knight Riders, Woakes showcased clever change-ups and a sharp bouncer that troubled top-order batters. His breakthrough season arrived after shifting to Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he opened the attack and often bowled the crucial 19th over, using wide yorkers and slower cutters to choke runs. Returning to KKR, Woakes refined his knuckle-ball, pairing it with skiddy length to disrupt timing on slow Indian tracks. Batting lower down, he produced vital cameos, including a match-winning lofted drive over extra-cover that sealed a last-over chase. Fitness setbacks limited his availability yet whenever fit, franchises leaned on his skill in the powerplay and his composure in crunch overs. Woakes remains a sought-after overseas quick for teams needing a proven new-ball operator and a reliable death bowler in the IPL auction cycle.

England’s Chris Woakes has quietly become one of the Indian Premier League’s most reliable new-ball operators. In three short campaigns—split between Delhi Capitals (2021), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2018) and Kolkata Knight Riders (2017)—the right-arm quick has snapped 30 wickets from only 21 bowling innings, striking every 14.67 balls and conceding 8.97 runs per over. His standout trait is consistency: he has produced three separate three-wicket bursts, the only multiple-wicket hauls he has needed to stay in the spotlight. Woakes’ 440 balls in the competition translate to 658 runs leaked—numbers that underline a bowler who attacks rather than contains. His best figures of 3 for, achieved on three occasions, prove he can tilt games in a single spell. While his batting has been limited to cameos—78 runs from 77 balls with seven fours and two sixes at a strike-rate of 101—his value to franchises lies firmly with the ball. In an era of sky-high totals, Woakes’ 30 scalps at a sub-15-ball strike-rate make him a proven, SEO-rich match-winner for any IPL side searching for championship-defining pace.

Note: This overview is partially generated using AI and is based on statistical data.