The shortest format of cricket was introduced at a time when the sport was largely accused of becoming a batsman’s game. And with T20 cricket offering the batsmen the incentive to hit every ball out of the park, bowlers were struggling to find their footing in modern cricket. However, since England had first introduced T20 cricket in 2003, the game has changed drastically with today’s game becoming more bowler centric. Here are the players with the most wickets in T20 cricket.
Most wickets in T20 cricket
| Rank | Players | Balls bowled | Wickets taken | Best figures |
| 1 | DJ Bravo | 9715 | 549 | 5/23 |
| 2 | Imran Tahir | 7163 | 420 | 5/23 |
| 3 | Sunil Narine | 8640 | 419 | 5/19 |
| 4 | Lasith Malinga | 6508 | 390 | 6/7 |
| 5 | Rashid Khan | 6471 | 389 | 5/3 |
| 6 | Shakib Al Hasan | 7212 | 386 | 6/6 |
| 7 | Sohail Tanvir | 7710 | 375 | 6/14 |
| 8 | Wahab Riaz | 6325 | 358 | 5/8 |
| 9 | Shahid Afridi | 6928 | 344 | 5/7 |
| 10 | Andre Russell | 6193 | 340 | 5/15 |
Dwayne Bravo (West Indies)
West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo is one of the first players to get acquainted with the T20 format, since making his debut in 2006. He has since played 504 T20 matches for his country and various other franchises, taking a whopping 549 wickets at a strike rate of 17.6. The only wicket-taker to reach the 500-mark in T20 cricket, Bravo has played for some of the best T20 teams over the years, ranging from Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians to Lahore Qalandars and Melbourne Stars.
Imran Tahir (South Africa)
South Africa’s Imran Tahir is a bowling specialist and like Bravo, he also made his T20 debut in 2006. Since then, Tahir has played 334 matches and taken 420 wickets in the process. Tahir has played with teams like Chennai Super Kings, Hampshire, Multan Sultans, Rising Pune Supergiant and more.
Sunil Narine (West Indies)
West Indian mystery spinner Sunil Narine sits third in the list of bowlers with the most wickets in T20 cricket. Having started his T20 career only in 2011, Narine has done brilliantly to take over 400 wickets in the format in just 379 matches. Having a strike rate of 20.6 and an economy rate of 6.04, the spinner is heavily demanded across all T20 cricket tournaments. A T20 specialist, Narine has played for teams like Kolkata Knight Riders, Lahore Qalandars, Melbourne Renegades, Trinbago Knight Riders and more.
Who has the most wickets in T20 cricket in a series?
Pakistan spinner Mohammad Hafeez sits at the top of players with maximum wickets in a single T20 series. Hafeez had achieved this feat in the 2011-12 Zimbabwe vs Pakistan series, where he returned with figures of 7/21.
However, Hafeez isn’t the only player to take seven wickets in a T20 series. Indian wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, Narine and Umar Gul also have seven scalps to their name.
Who has the most wickets in a T20 inning?
The record for most T20 wickets in a match goes to Indian cricket team pacer Deepak Chahar. He had taken 6 wickets against Bangladesh in 2019 while conceding just 7 runs in the process.
Other players to have taken six wickets in a T20 match are Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis, Yuzvendra Chahal and Jan Frylinck.
Most wickets in T20 Internationals (T20I)
| Rank | Players | Country | Wickets taken | Best bowling figures |
| 1 | Lasith Malinga | Sri Lanka | 107 | 5/6 |
| 2 | Shakib Al Hasan | Bangladesh | 106 | 5/20 |
| 3 | Tim Southee | New Zealand | 99 | 5/18 |
| 4 | Shahid Afridi | Pakistan | 98 | 5/18 |
| 5 | Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | 95 | 5/3 |
| 6 | Umar Gul | Pakistan | 85 | 5/6 |
| 7 | Saeed Ajmal | Pakistan | 85 | 4/19 |
| 8 | Mustafizur Rahman | Bangladesh | 76 | 5/22 |
| 9 | GH Dockrell | Ireland | 76 | 4/20 |
| 10 | Dwayne Bravo | West Indies | 76 | 4/19 |
