Ever since the inaugural edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007, which a young Indian side won against all odds, the premier cricket tournament has seen some extraordinary bowlers take centre stage.
Currently, Bangladesh player Shakib Al Hasan’s 50 wickets is the record for most wickets taken in the T20 World Cup history.
Meanwhile, spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin holds the record for most wickets for India in T20 World Cup with 32 wickets in 24 matches. Ashwin made his T20 World Cup debut in the 2012 edition.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s best bowling figures at the T20 World Cup is 4/11, which he recorded in a group phase match against Australia in the 2014 edition. India won that match by 73 runs.
Arshdeep Singh is next on the list of most wickets for India in T20 World Cups. The left-arm medium-pacer from India has picked up 27 wickets in only 14 games from 2022-2024. He holds an impressive average of 13.74 and an economy rate of 7.42.
India's star all-pacer Jasprit Bumrah also features in the list of leading wicket-takers for India in the T20 World Cup. The right-arm fast bowler has scalped 26 wickets in 18 games. His top spell of 3/7 came against Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup 2024. Bumrah bowled the penultimate without concerning any runs to register a historic victory in India's opening encounter of the Super Eights of the tournament.
With 24 wickets in 24 matches, all-rounder Hardik Pandya is next on the list. His best spell of 3/27 was registered in India's latest T20 World Cup 2024 match against Ireland in New York.
Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja completes the list of top five. The slow left-arm orthodox spinner, who first played in the 2009 edition, has taken 22 wickets in 30 matches. He bagged seven wickets in the previous edition, which is his individual best. Jadeja was all set to feature in the Twenty20 World Cup 2022 but an unfortunate injury ruled him out of the tournament in Australia.
Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan is the sixth Indian bowler on the list with 16 wickets in 15 games. He took 10 wickets at an economy of 6.77 in the inaugural edition and played a crucial part in India lifting the trophy. His best figures of 3/16 came in the final against arch-rivals Pakistan - a performance that won him the Man of the Match award too.
The left-arm formed a formidable pace bowling partnership with RP Singh and the duo accounted for a total of 22 wickets in that first edition of World T20.
Legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh completes the top seven list of the most wickets for India in the T20 World Cup. Nicknamed ‘The Turbanator’, he has taken 16 wickets in 19 matches between 2007 and 2012. Interestingly, he also holds the record for bowling the most number of maiden overs in World T20 with four in as many editions.
Ashish Nehra, RP Singh and Mohammed Shami are the other top wicket-takers for India in the T20 World Cup.
Most wickets for India in T20 World Cup
| No. | Player | Wickets | Matches | Best Figures |
| 1 | Ravichandran Ashwin | 32 | 24 | 4/11 |
| 2 | Arshdeep Singh | 27 | 14 | 4/9 |
| 3 | Jasprit Bumrah | 26 | 18 | 3/7 |
| 4 | Ravindra Jadeja | 22 | 30 | 3/15 |
| 5 | Hardik Pandya | 24 | 24 | 3/27 |
| 6 | Irfan Pathan | 16 | 15 | 3/16 |
| 7 | Harbhajan Singh | 16 | 19 | 4/12 |
| 8 | Ashish Nehra | 15 | 10 | 3/19 |
| 9 | RP Singh | 14 | 9 | 4/13 |
| 10 | Mohammed Shami | 14 | 14 | 3/15 |
Photo credit: Ryan LIM / AFP
