Hardik Pandya becomes the first IPL captain to take a five-wicket haul (fifer). This rare achievement came in the 2025 IPL while leading Mumbai Indians against Lucknow Super Giants on April 4, 2025, where he picked up 5 wickets, becoming the first skipper in IPL history to do so. Pandya’s spell read 4-0-36-5, where he scalped crucial wickets including Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant, David Miller, and Akash Deep, especially during pressure moments. Despite conceding 36 runs, his strikes came at vital junctures, breaking LSG’s momentum and restricting them to 203/8 in 20 overs. 5/36 - Best bowling figures for #HardikPandya in T20s đź‘ŹWatch LIVE action ➡ https://t.co/nH2UGjQY0t #IPLonJioStar 👉 #LSGvMI, LIVE NOW on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi & JioHotstar! pic.twitter.com/niQf8ANDbC — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 4, 2025 This performance places Pandya above legends like Anil Kumble, who held the previous best by a captain in terms of wickets taken. Kumble had two four-wicket hauls while leading Royal Challengers Bangalore—4/16 against Deccan Chargers in 2009 and 4/16 again in 2010. Other notable bowling captaincy spells include Shane Warne (4/21 for Rajasthan Royals), and JP Duminy (4/17 for Delhi Daredevils). What sets Pandya’s performance apart is the historic nature of the five-wicket milestone, a first in the 17-year history of the IPL for any captain. Read also: Rohit Sharma Benched, Fans React to Hardik Pandya’s Call Here is a list of bowler captains in the 18 years of IPL history Player Team(s) Type Anil Kumble Royal Challengers Bangalore Leg-spinner Shane Warne Rajasthan Royals Leg-spinner Daniel Vettori Royal Challengers Bangalore Left-arm spinner Ravichandran Ashwin Kings XI Punjab, RR (briefly) Off-spinner Zaheer Khan Delhi Daredevils Left-arm pacer Dale Steyn (stand-in) Deccan Chargers (brief) Fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar Sunrisers Hyderabad (stand-in) Swing bowler Harbhajan Singh Mumbai Indians (briefly) Off-spinner Shakib Al Hasan (stand-in) KKR/SRH (briefly) All-rounder, spinner Hardik Pandya Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans All-rounder, pacer Best bowling figures by IPL captains in a match Player Team Wickets Overs Runs Economy Opponent Venue Date Hardik Pandya Mumbai Indians 5 4.0 36 9.00 Lucknow Super Giants Ekana 4 Apr 2025 Anil Kumble RCB 4 4.0 16 4.00 Deccan Chargers Johannesburg 24 May 2009 Anil Kumble RCB 4 3.3 16 4.57 Deccan Chargers DY Patil 24 Apr 2010 JP Duminy Delhi Daredevils 4 3.0 17 5.66 Sunrisers Hyderabad Visakhapatnam 18 Apr 2015 Shane Warne Rajasthan Royals 4 4.0 21 5.25 Deccan Chargers Nagpur 5 Apr 2010