Adil Rashid (England) has the most wickets in T20 internationals in the record book, with 169 from 143 matches. Two New Zealanders chase him: Ish Sodhi on 164 and Tim Southee on 162.
The tables use ball-by-ball records of 3,558 men’s and 2,171 women’s T20Is, starting in Feb 2005 and running to Sep 2026. It counts international matches only, not franchise leagues. Afghanistan’s bowlers are missing because that country’s games are absent from the open data.
Most Wickets in T20 Internationals: What the Columns Mean
Wickets are those credited to the bowler, so run outs do not count. Best shows the top figures in a single match, written as wickets/runs. Avg is runs conceded per wicket, Econ is runs per over and 5w counts five-wicket hauls. Lower average and economy are better.
The main list is open to every side, Associates included. That matters in T20Is, where many more countries play. Ehsan Khan (Hong Kong) is seventh with 148, and bowlers from Bahrain, Nepal, Malaysia and Kenya also make the main table. The second list keeps only players from Test-playing nations; Rashid tops both.
Tap a heading to sort. Sorting by average brings S Lamichhane (Nepal) to the top: 135 wickets at 12.86. For the batting side of the format, see most T20I runs.
Most Wickets in T20 Internationals (Men)
| Bowler | M | Inns | Wkts | Best | Avg | Econ | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AU Rashid England | 143 | 143 | 169 | 4/2 | 23.28 | 7.56 | 0 |
| IS Sodhi New Zealand | 134 | 134 | 164 | 4/12 | 23.08 | 8.17 | 0 |
| TG Southee New Zealand | 122 | 122 | 162 | 5/18 | 22.51 | 8.02 | 2 |
| PWH de Silva Sri Lanka | 91 | 91 | 155 | 4/9 | 16.06 | 7.24 | 0 |
| Mustafizur Rahman Bangladesh | 116 | 116 | 150 | 6/10 | 20.50 | 7.27 | 2 |
| A Zampa Australia | 113 | 113 | 149 | 5/19 | 20.56 | 7.38 | 1 |
| Ehsan Khan Hong Kong | 104 | 104 | 148 | 4/5 | 15.70 | 6.20 | 0 |
| MJ Santner New Zealand | 130 | 130 | 142 | 4/11 | 23.33 | 7.17 | 0 |
| Rizwan Butt Bahrain | 91 | 91 | 139 | 6/9 | 16.08 | 6.81 | 4 |
| S Lamichhane Nepal | 74 | 74 | 135 | 5/9 | 12.86 | 6.16 | 2 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi Pakistan | 99 | 99 | 132 | 4/22 | 21.42 | 7.93 | 0 |
| Shakib Al Hasan Bangladesh | 110 | 110 | 131 | 5/20 | 20.95 | 6.92 | 2 |
| MR Adair Ireland | 91 | 91 | 128 | 4/13 | 20.02 | 7.78 | 0 |
| Arshdeep Singh India | 84 | 84 | 127 | 5/51 | 20.43 | 8.65 | 1 |
| Haris Rauf Pakistan | 88 | 88 | 126 | 4/18 | 21.23 | 8.36 | 0 |
| Shadab Khan Pakistan | 110 | 110 | 118 | 4/8 | 24.49 | 7.50 | 0 |
| JJ Bumrah India | 90 | 90 | 117 | 4/15 | 18.43 | 6.58 | 0 |
| Ali Dawood Bahrain | 76 | 76 | 116 | 7/19 | 14.60 | 6.22 | 1 |
| Virandeep Singh Malaysia | 94 | 94 | 115 | 4/5 | 14.17 | 5.50 | 0 |
| R Ngarava Zimbabwe | 87 | 87 | 114 | 4/16 | 19.89 | 7.32 | 0 |
| HH Pandya India | 123 | 123 | 114 | 4/16 | 26.82 | 8.33 | 0 |
| JO Holder West Indies | 91 | 91 | 109 | 5/27 | 26.53 | 8.72 | 1 |
| SO Ngoche Kenya | 92 | 92 | 108 | 4/14 | 17.43 | 5.94 | 0 |
| Karan KC Nepal | 87 | 87 | 108 | 5/21 | 20.18 | 7.75 | 1 |
| Pavandeep Singh Malaysia | 88 | 88 | 107 | 4/3 | 18.55 | 6.09 | 0 |
Most T20I Wickets by Test-Playing Nation Bowlers
The main list includes players from every team, including Associate nations. This list keeps only players from full ICC members.
| Bowler | M | Inns | Wkts | Best | Avg | Econ | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AU Rashid England | 143 | 143 | 169 | 4/2 | 23.28 | 7.56 | 0 |
| IS Sodhi New Zealand | 134 | 134 | 164 | 4/12 | 23.08 | 8.17 | 0 |
| TG Southee New Zealand | 122 | 122 | 162 | 5/18 | 22.51 | 8.02 | 2 |
| PWH de Silva Sri Lanka | 91 | 91 | 155 | 4/9 | 16.06 | 7.24 | 0 |
| Mustafizur Rahman Bangladesh | 116 | 116 | 150 | 6/10 | 20.50 | 7.27 | 2 |
| A Zampa Australia | 113 | 113 | 149 | 5/19 | 20.56 | 7.38 | 1 |
| MJ Santner New Zealand | 130 | 130 | 142 | 4/11 | 23.33 | 7.17 | 0 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi Pakistan | 99 | 99 | 132 | 4/22 | 21.42 | 7.93 | 0 |
| Shakib Al Hasan Bangladesh | 110 | 110 | 131 | 5/20 | 20.95 | 6.92 | 2 |
| MR Adair Ireland | 91 | 91 | 128 | 4/13 | 20.02 | 7.78 | 0 |
| Arshdeep Singh India | 84 | 84 | 127 | 5/51 | 20.43 | 8.65 | 1 |
| Haris Rauf Pakistan | 88 | 88 | 126 | 4/18 | 21.23 | 8.36 | 0 |
| Shadab Khan Pakistan | 110 | 110 | 118 | 4/8 | 24.49 | 7.50 | 0 |
| JJ Bumrah India | 90 | 90 | 117 | 4/15 | 18.43 | 6.58 | 0 |
| R Ngarava Zimbabwe | 87 | 87 | 114 | 4/16 | 19.89 | 7.32 | 0 |
Most T20I Wickets for India
| Bowler | M | Inns | Wkts | Best | Avg | Econ | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arshdeep Singh India | 84 | 84 | 127 | 5/51 | 20.43 | 8.65 | 1 |
| JJ Bumrah India | 90 | 90 | 117 | 4/15 | 18.43 | 6.58 | 0 |
| HH Pandya India | 123 | 123 | 114 | 4/16 | 26.82 | 8.33 | 0 |
| AR Patel India | 90 | 90 | 96 | 3/9 | 23.08 | 7.70 | 0 |
| YS Chahal India | 79 | 79 | 96 | 6/25 | 25.09 | 8.19 | 1 |
| Kuldeep Yadav India | 50 | 50 | 92 | 5/17 | 13.51 | 6.87 | 2 |
| B Kumar India | 85 | 85 | 85 | 5/24 | 24.41 | 7.05 | 1 |
| CV Varun India | 45 | 45 | 74 | 5/17 | 17.36 | 7.67 | 2 |
| R Ashwin India | 62 | 62 | 67 | 4/8 | 24.04 | 7.00 | 0 |
| Ravi Bishnoi India | 44 | 44 | 64 | 4/13 | 19.58 | 7.39 | 0 |
Most T20I Wickets for Each Team
| Team | Leader | Total | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | Arshdeep Singh | 127 wickets | 84 |
| Australia | A Zampa | 149 wickets | 113 |
| England | AU Rashid | 169 wickets | 143 |
| South Africa | L Ngidi | 87 wickets | 63 |
| New Zealand | IS Sodhi | 164 wickets | 134 |
| Pakistan | Shaheen Shah Afridi | 132 wickets | 99 |
| Sri Lanka | PWH de Silva | 155 wickets | 91 |
| West Indies | JO Holder | 109 wickets | 91 |
| Bangladesh | Mustafizur Rahman | 150 wickets | 116 |
| Zimbabwe | R Ngarava | 114 wickets | 87 |
| Ireland | MR Adair | 128 wickets | 91 |
Most Wickets in Women's T20Is
| Bowler | M | Inns | Wkts | Best | Avg | Econ | 5w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DB Sharma India | 147 | 147 | 178 | 5/10 | 18.71 | 6.32 | 2 |
| T Putthawong Thailand | 98 | 98 | 157 | 5/3 | 9.63 | 4.29 | 3 |
| S Ecclestone England | 112 | 112 | 154 | 4/18 | 16.46 | 6.04 | 0 |
| ML Schutt Australia | 117 | 117 | 142 | 5/15 | 17.97 | 6.41 | 1 |
| KY Chan Hong Kong | 95 | 95 | 132 | 5/4 | 11.55 | 4.68 | 4 |
| O Kamchomphu Thailand | 111 | 111 | 130 | 5/18 | 12.83 | 4.69 | 1 |
| Nahida Akter Bangladesh | 101 | 101 | 120 | 5/8 | 17.37 | 5.96 | 2 |
| Vaishnave Mahesh UAE | 91 | 91 | 119 | 4/10 | 11.13 | 4.77 | 0 |
| HK Matthews West Indies | 106 | 106 | 117 | 4/10 | 19.03 | 6.32 | 0 |
| S Laomi Thailand | 100 | 100 | 115 | 4/13 | 12.68 | 4.31 | 0 |
The Leading T20I Wicket Takers Compared
Rashid, Sodhi and Southee are separated by only a handful of wickets, but their numbers differ in shape. Southee is the only one of the three with five-wicket hauls (2), while Rashid has the tidiest economy of the three at 7.56.
Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka) is the most striking name near the top. His 155 wickets came in only 91 matches at an average of 16.06, far fewer games than anyone above him. Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh) holds the best figures among the top six, 6/10, and Adam Zampa (Australia) has 149.
Among Associates, Rizwan Butt (Bahrain) has four five-fors, the highest count in the main table, and his team-mate Ali Dawood owns its best figures, 7/19. Virandeep Singh (Malaysia) has the lowest economy in that table at 5.50. More format lists sit on the T20I records page.
Most T20I Wickets for India and in Women's Cricket
Arshdeep Singh leads India with 127 in 84 matches. Jasprit Bumrah has 117 with the best economy in India’s top 10, 6.58, and Hardik Pandya has 114. Kuldeep Yadav stands out on rate: 92 wickets in only 50 games at 13.51, with two five-fors. Yuzvendra Chahal holds India’s best figures in the table, 6/25.
The team table names each side’s top wicket taker. L Ngidi leads South Africa with 87 from 63 matches, JO Holder leads West Indies with 109 and R Ngarava leads Zimbabwe with 114.
In women’s T20Is, Deepti Sharma (India) has the most, 178 from 147 matches. T Putthawong (Thailand) follows on 157, conceding just 9.63 runs per wicket and 4.29 an over. Sophie Ecclestone (England) has 154. For Test bowling, see most Test wickets.
Questions about Most T20I wickets
Who has the most wickets in T20 internationals?
England’s Adil Rashid, with 169 in 143 T20Is, in data from Feb 2005. Ish Sodhi (New Zealand) has 164 and Tim Southee (New Zealand) 162.
Who has the most T20I wickets for India?
Arshdeep Singh, with 127 in 84 matches and a best of 5/51. Jasprit Bumrah has 117 and Hardik Pandya 114.
Who is the top wicket taker among Associate nations?
Ehsan Khan (Hong Kong) with 148 wickets in 104 matches. Rizwan Butt (Bahrain) has 139 and S Lamichhane (Nepal) 135, the last at an average of 12.86.
Does this list include IPL or other league wickets?
No. Only men’s and women’s T20 internationals are counted: 3,558 men’s and 2,171 women’s matches in the data. League games are not part of these tables.
Who has the most wickets in women's T20Is?
Deepti Sharma (India) with 178 in 147 matches. T Putthawong (Thailand) has 157 and Sophie Ecclestone (England) 154.
Source: ball-by-ball match data from Cricsheet.org (ODC-BY). See how we compile these records.