Basil Thampi, bowling for Sunrisers Hyderabad, conceded 70 runs in his four overs against Royal Challengers Bangalore in an IPL 2018 game on Thursday, May 17.

Those numbers sound a bit crazy, even in these days of blitz-batting, and one wonders whether the bowler is fit for the format. Not fair that, on young Thampi.

He might now have the unwanted record of having conceded the most runs in an over in IPL history, but just below him in the list are some pretty big names of the game. As it is, 24-year-old Thampi was playing only his fourth match of the season. Unfortunately for him, he ran into AB de Villiers and Moeen Ali in breath-taking form.

Thampi’s first over went for 19 runs, his next cost 18, his third 14 – Colin de Grandhomme coming to the party too – and his last another 19. With de Villiers (69), Ali (65) and de Grandhomme (40) running riot, Bangalore put up 218-6. The reply ended at 204-3.

It might be the worst economy ever in the IPL, but some others have come close over the years.

In 2018 itself, some of the biggest names in the game have conceded more than 50 runs in a spell – 14 times.

“I think, to be honest, we missed the trick a little with the ball in hand,” said Kane Williamson, the Hyderabad captain, whose team had become the first to qualify for the IPL 2018 play-offs and left out some of their first-choice bowlers including Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Meanwhile, the most expensive spell in Twenty20 International history is 0-69, by Ireland’s Barry McCarthy against Afghanistan in March 2017, while the corresponding record in all T20s is Sarmad Anwar’s 0-81 for Sialkot Stallions against Lahore Lions in a Pakistan domestic match in 2011.

As such, Thampi is one of the most exciting young pacemen in India. The experience on Thursday night will have left him hurting, but learning from it might make him a better bowler.