Ranking the world's top 10 best T20 bowlers currently ahead of Asia Cup 2025 ft. Arshdeep Singh, Rashid Khan 

Cracking the art of T20 bowling is a game-changer for the upcoming generations, and one of the most challenging roles to fulfil. With the game leaning towards the batters more than ever, the bowlers need to evolve and keep up, to keep their side in the game.

It is no surprise that spinners, with their variations and ability to entice the batters into taking risks, dominate the list. The same is the case with the ICC Rankings for T20I bowlers at present, with as many as eight spinners marking their presence in the top 10.

T20 cricket has taken a backseat only for a little while in the international circuit, but the upcoming months in the cricketing calendar, coupled with the carousel of franchise tournaments, ensure that the shortest format does not have a chance for a breather.

On that note, let us rank the world's top 10 best T20 bowlers currently ahead of the Asia Cup 2025.

Honorable mentions: Adam Zampa, Maheesh Theekshana, and Jacob Duffy

#10 Wanindu Hasaranga

The Sri Lankan mystery spinner is a bona fide wicket-taker regardless of his form. He has certainly had a slight dip in recent times, coinciding with his woeful stint as T20I captain.

Hasaranga, however, has proven that he is still a certified match-winner. He has bagged at least one wicket in 21 consecutive T20Is now, a streak which began in April 2023. He has a massive season coming up with the 2025 Asia Cup and the 2026 T20 World Cup, both in spin-friendly conditions. If Sri Lanka has to progress further, he has to step up as the spearhead of the spin bowling attack. Once the No. 1-ranked T20 bowler in the world, he currently ranks in the sixth spot.

#9 Noor Ahmad

One of the several spinners that will feature in the list, Noor Ahmad's rise to the top has been a story in itself. The left-arm wrist spinner, with his quick-arm action, was destined to be among the top spinners. The shortest format works perfectly for his skill set, with batters often struggling to read his variations and perishing to keep up with the scoring rate.

The spinner is currently in a lean patch with the Manchester Originals, but had a blockbuster IPL season recently. He was in the Purple Cap race in his maiden season with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), bagging 24 wickets at an average of 17.

He did not have a particularly memorable 2024 T20 World Cup, but he has grown in stature massively since then and could be the go-to bowler for Afghanistan in their upcoming crucial campaigns.

#8 Nathan Ellis

A criminally underrated bowler, who is yet to cement his place in the national or IPL playing XI, has been on a decent run of late that might help him elevate his status. Since the 2024 T20 World Cup, where he did not feature after the group stage, he has taken 10 wickets in nine matches, while conceding over 10 runs per over only once.

On top of that, he had a landmark Big Bash League (BBL) 2024-25 campaign with the Hobart Hurricanes, leading them to the title, while being the eighth leading wicket-taker of the season. The right-arm pacer recently played the entirety of the five-match T20I series against the West Indies and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker among Australian pacers.

Ellis is clearly on the rise, and indeed a prospect that Australia can tap into during the build-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup. He is currently ranked 12th in the world, but was ranked as high as No.8 recently.

#7 Akeal Hosein

The West Indies left-arm spinner has had a massive and deserving rise with his consistency. For several years, he had struggled to get into the top bracket of spinners, but a strong end to 2024 meant that he was the No. 1-ranked bowler in T20Is.

He did not have a strong start to 2025 due to a particularly disappointing 2025 International League T20 (ILT20) campaign. But he has found some rhythm in the recent home campaigns against Australia and Pakistan. The spinner has also made a strong start to The Hundred 2025, earning the player of the match award in the Trent Rockets' win over the Northern Superchargers.

#6 Arshdeep Singh

The Indian left-arm pacer is already one of India's leading wicket-takers in the format despite making his debut only three years ago. He has been a massive revelation for the team in T20 cricket, primarily due to his ability to bowl across all phases of the innings, coupled with his apparent bowling angle, as well as pace and height.

With all the necessary ingredients needed to succeed, it is no surprise to find him as an automatic pick in the T20I team. To his credit, he has maintained consistency. Over the last 12 months or so, he has had a landmark T20 World Cup campaign and a string of successful bilateral series outings against Bangladesh, South Africa, England, and Sri Lanka. In addition, he was the fourth-leading wicket-taker among pacers in IPL 2025.

#5 Rashid Khan

It is a well-documented fact that the Afghanistan spinner is far from his best at the moment, ruling him out of contention for the best T20 spinner around, but he is still among the best, despite his lean patch. The right-arm spinner has struggled for rhythm for quite some time now, but still managed to have a decent 2024 and was included in the ICC Men's T20I team of the year.

Before he was carved apart by Liam Livingstone during the Oval Invincibles' loss to the Birmingham Phoenix recently, he had taken six wickets in the first two matches of the 2025 Hundred. The wrist spinner will slowly but surely be back to his best to be considered among the best T20 bowlers in the world, in the top bracket.

#4 Josh Hazlewood

The Australian right-arm pacer has been one of the most consistent bowlers in the shortest format over the past decade, despite injuries marred his progress on several occasions. He has grown from strength to strength in recent times, and he showcased to the world why he is among the best through a spectacular campaign in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) triumphant season in IPL 2025.

Spearheading the attack, he claimed 22 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 17.54. playing an instrumental role in the season from start to finish. He has maintained his form with four wickets in the first two T20Is of the ongoing home series against South Africa.

Batters have often found it quite difficult to handle his nagging length and steep bounce at times. His enhanced ability in the death overs has only propelled his T20 career, as he looks to utilize possibly his best version in the format and capitalize on a purple patch to good effect in Australia's upcoming endeavors, including the 2026 T20 World Cup.

#3 Adil Rashid

England's veteran frontline spinner is currently ranked No.2 in the world, but held the top spot for quite a while until recently. Rashid has been on a sensational run in the last couple of years, using his pace variation and shrewdness to contain and outfox batters. The fact that he has been among wickets at an astonishingly low economy rate is what makes him an indispensable member of England.

The wrist spinner was arguably unplayable during the 2024 T20 World Cup, and followed it up with solid bilateral outings against India and the West Indies, away from home. He has kick-started his Hundred campaign for the Northern Superchargers on a splendid note, bagging four wickets in his first couple of matches.

#2 Varun Chakaravathy

The mystery spinner made a comeback to the national side rather unexpectedly, but has not turned back since. Years of dominant outings in the IPL and domestic circuit earned him a spot in the India playing XI during the transition after the 2024 T20 World Cup. Three dominant campaigns against South Africa, England, and Bangladesh were all it took for him to be crowned as the No. 1-ranked bowler in the world.

Chakaravarthy was the leading wicket-taker in all of the aforementioned campaigns for India. He had batters rattled consistently and was a reliable ploy for skipper Suryakumar Yadav to use in any phase of the innings, whether to contain or attack.

#1 Jasprit Bumrah

Workload management may have reduced Jasprit Bumrah's degree of involvement with the new-look Indian T20I side, but regardless of what transpires, it is clearly established that he is the head of the pack. The lack of appearances hardly affects his pedigree as he followed up his legendary 2024 T20 World Cup exploits with a solid 2025 IPL campaign for the Mumbai Indians (MI).

With India done with major red-ball assignments for the time being, white-ball cricket once again becomes the primary focus. Team India's priority also becomes Jasprit Bumrah's priority. The Men in Blue's aspirations of defending the T20 World Cup lies on the spearhead's shoulders, and given that his prowess has not waned a bit, and the fact that he is the first name on the team sheet and irreplaceable, makes him the best T20 bowler at present.