The IPL 2024 came to an end recently as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) got the better of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 8 wickets to clinch the third title. The other two teams that made it to the playoffs are Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Chennai Super Kings narrowly missed out on making it to the playoffs after their defeat to RCB in the knockout game. Mumbai Indians had the worst campaign as they finished the season at the bottom of the points table.

Case in point, all the ten teams invested heavily on the bowlers in the IPL 2024 auction. However, not all signings bore fruit as there were quite a few failed projects.

Let's now analyze the wickets taken and the average cost per wicket for all 10 teams. Let's find out which team had the best value for their bowling attacks in the recently-concluded tournament.

1. Rajasthan Royals: The inaugural IPL champions got the best value for the money they spent on the bowling attack in IPL 2024. They have taken 90 wickets across the season and their average cost per wicket is INR 29.20 lakh, which is the least by any team in the tournament. RR qualified for the playoffs and knocked RCB out of the competition but their journey came to an end after they were knocked out by SRH in Qualifier 2.

2. Kolkata Knight Riders: KKR have taken a total of 102 wickets in 16 matches, which means that their average cost per wicket is INR 40.06 lakh. The Kolkata-based franchise splashed the money to sign Mitchell Starc for INR 24.75 crore, the most expensive signing in IPL history. He took 17 wickets in 13 games whereas Varun Chakravarthy (INR 12 crore) finished the season as the leading wicket-taker for KKR with 21 wickets.

3. Mumbai Indians: MI failed to qualify for the IPL 2024 playoffs as they finished at the bottom of the points table with 8 points under Hardik Pandya's captaincy. However, they got value for the money they spent on the bowlers. The five-time IPL champions hold the second spot as they took 80 wickets, meaning that the average cost per wicket is INR 49.22.

4. Lucknow Super Giants: The Lucknow-based franchise have bagged a total of 67 wickets in the recently-concluded tournament. Their average cost per wicket is INR 64.17 lakh. Under KL Rahul's captaincy, LSG failed to qualify for the playoffs. They finished seventh on the table with 14 points.

5. Gujarat Titans: The Ahmedabad based franchise took 67 wickets across the season, which means their average cost per wicket is INR 65.83. The runners of IPL 2023 season hardly made an impact in the subsequent season. Under Gill's captaincy, they failed to qualify for the playoffs as they went on to finish eighth on the points table with 12 points.

6. Punjab Kings: The Mohali-based franchise have taken a total of 94 wickets in the season and their average cost per wicket is INR 86.48 lakh. Harshal Patel who was sold to PBKS for INR 11.75 crore won the Purple Cap for finishing the season as the leading wicket-taker with 24 wickets.

7. Delhi Capitals: DC have taken a total of 92 wickets across the IPL 2024 season. Their average cost per wicket is 97.43 lakh. DC failed to qualify for the playoffs under Rishabh Pant's captaincy. The Delhi-based franchise finished sixth on the points table with 14 points.

8. Royal Challengers Bengaluru: RCB broke the bank and invested heavily on bowlers at the IPL 2024 auction. Nevertheless, they didn't get enough value for the bucks they spent on the bowling attack. RCB took a total of 81 wickets this season but their average cost per wicket is INR 156.10. They qualified for the playoffs by finishing fourth on the table but their journey ended after they lost to RR in the Eliminator.

9. Sunrisers Hyderabad: The Orange Army took 79 wickets across IPL 2024 and their average cost per wicket is 169.44. Pat Cummins was the most expensive signing in the club's history as was roped in for INR 20.5 crore. However, he took 18 wickets in 16 games for the Hyderabad-based franchise. SRH made it to the finals of the IPL 2024 season by knocking RR out of the competition in Qualifier 2. However, they surrendered at the hands of KKR in the final encounter.

10. Chennai Super Kings: CSK are at the bottom of this list as they didn't get enough value for the money they spent on the bowlers in the IPL 2024 auction. The Yellow Army took a total of 76 wickets across the season but their average cost per wicket is INR 227.77, the highest by a team in the recently-concluded tournament.