[Zubair]

Sohail Tanvir today won the 'Purple Cap' for becoming the leading wicket taker in the tournament; he now has 21 wickets to his name from nine appearances in the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL). Incredible performance, considering the wickets have come at the rate of 2.3 wickets per match - clearly the best among all bowlers in the tournament.

Despite joining the Royals' ranks only for their fourth match in the tournament, Tanvir is now three wickets clear of the erstwhile 'Purple Cap' holder S Sreesanth, who bagged 18 wickets from 13 matches in the competition.

The things that impress most about this lanky Pakistan seamer are:

When he picks wickets, he gets them in heaps. Off the nine matches that Tanvir has played, he's picked up three wickets or more, on as many as five occasions. Here's a look at his performance in all the matches he's played so far:
Sl.
Opposition
Performance

1.
Royal Challengers
4-0-31-0

2.
Knight Riders
4-0-30-2

3.
Super Kings
4-0-14-6

4.
Mumbai Indians
3.1-0-13-0

5.
Deccan Chargers
4-0-39-0

6.
Royal Challengers
4-0-10-3

7.
Knight Riders
4-0-26-3

8.
Super Kings
4-0-33-3

9.
Mumbai Indians
4-0-14-4


Tanvir's unusual bowling action hasn't made things easy for batsmen. Not too many batsmen, however experienced, have managed to successfully score off him. His most expensive outing in this tournament was his spell against the Deccan Chargers, when he leaked 39 runs off his four overs.

Tanvir has been an invaluable addition to the Royals' ranks, not only for his wicket-taking ability, but also for his miserly ways with the ball - his economy rate of 5.97 is the best among regular bowlers in the IPL. Here's a comparison of his economy rate against the combined economy rate of the other bowlers in the Royals' team in their matches so far:
Sl.
Opposition
Tanvir's economy
Others' economy

1.
Royal Challengers
7.75 Tanvir's economy
6.38 Others' economy

2.
Knight Riders
7.50 Tanvir's economy
7.68 Others' economy

3.
Super Kings
3.50 Tanvir's economy
6.00 Others' economy

4.
Mumbai Indians
4.11 Tanvir's economy
7.42 Others' economy

5.
Deccan Chargers
9.75 Tanvir's economy
6.06 Others' economy

6.
Royal Challengers
2.50 Tanvir's economy
7.63 Others' economy

7.
Knight Riders
6.50 Tanvir's economy
7.44 Others' economy

8.
Super Kings
8.25 Tanvir's economy
10.32 Others' economy

9.
Mumbai Indians
3.50 Tanvir's economy
7.81 Others' economy


All this for a man who came into the tournament with seven wickets from sixteen Twenty20 matches and an economy rate of 8.37 behind his back.

A lot has been said and written about Shane Warne's captaincy, and how each of his wards have stood and delivered when presented with an opportunity - Sohail Tanvir's case was certainly a case of rising to the occasion.