Nathan Ellis IPL Stats, Price, Team, Wickets, Salary & Career Records

Nathan Ellis is Australia’s crafty death-overs specialist who has carved out an IPL career through skill and intelligence rather than express pace. The right-arm seamer from New South Wales is famous for his bag of slower balls, pinpoint yorkers and remarkable composure under pressure.

Ellis announced himself to the world in unforgettable fashion, taking a hat-trick on his T20I debut for Australia. In the IPL, he has represented Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings, with his best season coming in 2023 when he took 13 wickets and established himself as a genuine death-bowling option.

This article covers Nathan Ellis IPL stats in full: season-by-season wickets, auction price and salary history, best performances, teams, playing style, international highlights and career records.

Early Career and IPL Debut

Nathan Trevor Ellis was born on 22 September 1994 in Greenacre, New South Wales. A right-arm medium-fast bowler, he rose through Tasmania’s ranks and the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League, where his clever variations at the death made him one of the most reliable T20 bowlers in Australia.

His international breakthrough was historic. On his T20I debut against Bangladesh in Dhaka in August 2021, Ellis took 3 for 34 including a hat-trick, becoming the first cricketer to take a hat-trick on T20I debut. Weeks later, Punjab Kings signed him as an injury replacement for the second half of the 2021 IPL season.

He made his IPL debut against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Sharjah on 25 September 2021. Though he went wicketless in that first outing, his control and clever change of pace impressed enough for Punjab to buy him outright at the 2022 mega auction.

Nathan Ellis IPL Stats by Season

Ellis has played 17 IPL matches across two franchises, taking 19 wickets.

The 2023 season was his breakthrough IPL campaign. Playing ten matches for Punjab Kings, he took 13 wickets including his best IPL figures of 4 for 30 against Rajasthan Royals. That season proved he could handle the death overs in the world’s toughest T20 league.

Opportunities were harder to come by in 2024, when he played just one match for Punjab amid stiff competition for overseas slots. Chennai Super Kings bought him at the 2025 mega auction, and he played one match for CSK, taking 1 for 38 against Mumbai Indians.

Wickets, Best Performances and Bowling Records

Ellis’s finest IPL spell remains his 4 for 30 against Rajasthan Royals in 2023, a performance built on clever slower balls and nerveless execution at the death. His 3 for 40 in 2022 also showed his wicket-taking ability when given the new ball.

What makes Ellis valuable is not raw numbers but his specific skill set. Few bowlers in world cricket disguise their slower balls as well as he does, and his ability to bowl six different variations in an over makes him extremely hard to line up. Captains trust him in the final overs because he rarely misses his yorker length under pressure.

His international record adds weight to his reputation. Beyond the debut hat-trick, he has been a consistent performer for Australia in T20Is and made his ODI debut against Pakistan in Lahore in March 2022.

IPL Auction Price and Salary History

Ellis’s IPL earnings reflect his journey from replacement signing to sought-after specialist.

After joining as a twenty-lakh replacement in 2021, Punjab Kings bought him for 75 lakh at the 2022 mega auction and retained him at that price for two more seasons. At the 2025 mega auction, Chennai Super Kings secured his services for two crore rupees, seeing him as a key part of their pace plans. He was retained at the same price for 2026.

Teams: Punjab Kings to Chennai Super Kings

Ellis spent four seasons with Punjab Kings from 2021 to 2024. While he was never a first-choice starter, he became a trusted squad member whose professionalism and specific skills kept him in the franchise’s plans year after year.

His move to Chennai Super Kings in 2025 was a fresh start at one of the league’s most successful franchises. CSK valued his death-overs expertise and saw him as an important part of their bowling group. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury ruled him out of the entire 2026 season, a cruel blow just as he was expected to take on a bigger role.

Playing Style and Strengths

Ellis is a thinking bowler. Operating in the 130-140 kph range, he survives and thrives through variation: off-cutters, leg-cutters, back-of-the-hand slower balls and a dipping yorker that has deceived some of the best finishers in the game.

His action is repeatable and his wrist position at release is excellent, which is why batters struggle to pick his slower deliveries. Like fellow craftsmen of the slower ball, he understands that T20 bowling is about deception as much as pace.

In the art of outfoxing batters with change of pace, he belongs in the conversation with masters like Jasprit Bumrah, whose yorker-slower-ball combination has set the standard for modern death bowling. His control also invites comparison with the metronomic Yuzvendra Chahal, who has shown how intelligence and nerve can outlast pure pace in the IPL. And as an overseas seamer trusted in pressure overs, he follows a path walked by greats like Trent Boult, whose new-ball and death spells have defined title-winning campaigns.

International Career Highlights

The hat-trick on T20I debut against Bangladesh in 2021 remains the defining moment of Ellis’s international career. Taking three wickets in three balls on debut, in just his first match for Australia, announced a bowler with rare nerve.

He has since become a regular in Australia’s T20I squads, valued for the same death-overs skills that earned him IPL contracts. His ODI debut came against Pakistan in Lahore in March 2022. While Test cricket has so far eluded him, his white-ball record marks him as one of Australia’s finest T20 specialists.

Future Outlook

The hamstring injury that ruled Ellis out of IPL 2026 was a significant setback, but at 31 he has time to come back strongly. Chennai Super Kings retained him despite the injury, a clear vote of confidence in his abilities.

If he recovers fully, Ellis has the skill set to enjoy several more productive IPL seasons. Bowlers who rely on skill rather than pace often age well in T20 cricket, and his variations will remain valuable as long as his body holds up. A return to Australia’s T20I side and a strong IPL comeback remain realistic goals.

FAQs

When did Nathan Ellis make his IPL debut?

Nathan Ellis made his IPL debut on 25 September 2021 for Punjab Kings against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Sharjah, after joining as an injury replacement.

How many wickets has Nathan Ellis taken in the IPL?

Nathan Ellis has taken 19 wickets in 17 IPL matches, with best figures of 4 for 30 against Rajasthan Royals in 2023.

What is Nathan Ellis’s IPL salary?

Nathan Ellis earns two crore rupees per season. Chennai Super Kings bought him for Rs 2 crore at the 2025 mega auction and retained him at the same price.

Which teams has Nathan Ellis played for in the IPL?

Nathan Ellis played for Punjab Kings from 2021 to 2024 and joined Chennai Super Kings in 2025.

Did Nathan Ellis take a hat-trick on his T20I debut?

Yes. Nathan Ellis took a hat-trick on his T20I debut for Australia against Bangladesh in Dhaka in August 2021, the first cricketer to achieve the feat on T20I debut.

Why did Nathan Ellis miss IPL 2026?

Nathan Ellis missed the entire IPL 2026 season after suffering a hamstring injury in March 2026, just before the tournament began.