Sportskeeda Cricket Awards 2017: Top 10 T20 bowlers of the year

Ever since the England and Wales Cricket Board decided to introduce the T20 format to the world in 2003, cricket has not been the same. While the first few years of the format were heavily in favour of the batsmen, bowlers have slowly but steadily clawed their way back. Both, the spinners and the pacers, have evolved with time and are now consistently winning T20 matches for their teams.

The year in question here, 2017, has seen the spinners rule the roost - six of the top 10 wicket-takers this calendar year and four of the top five are spinners. However, this list doesn't take just wickets taken into consideration since the Indian bowlers don't play any of the T20 leagues around the world but the IPL.

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#10 Mohammad Nabi

The Afghanistan international played for as many as five franchises (Comilla Victorians, Melbourne Renegades, Mis Ainak Knights, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Sunrisers Hyderabad) across the globe along with his country and in 41 T20 matches, bagged 43 wickets.

The off-spinner is known for his economical spells, evident by his economy of 6.62 this year. Though we didn't see much of him in the IPL - he played only three matches - it would be interesting to see which side picks him up in the upcoming auctions.

#9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The Indian pacer was at his brilliant best this calendar year. He played a total of 21 T20 matches, for India and Sunrisers Hyderabad, and picked 31 wickets at an economy rate of 7.09.

Bhuvneshwar was also the highest wicket-taker in the IPL, with 26 scalps. Though one would expect him to be higher on the list, the pacer picked only five wickets from the seven T20Is he played for India, hence he is ranked at #9 on our list.

#8 Jaydev Unadkat

Unadkat pips his fellow Indian international Bhuvneshwar Kumar as he bagged two more wickets (33) than the latter, having played only 19 matches as compared to Bhuvi's 21.

The Saurashtra player was the second highest wicket-taker in the IPL, with 24, and was named the Man of the Series in the recently concluded three-match T20I showdown against Sri Lanka.

#7 Andrew Tye

With 34 wickets in 20 T20 matches for Australia, Gujarat Lions and Perth Scorchers, Tye finishes seventh on our list. The Australian caught everyone's attention with a hat-trick on his IPL debut, where he went on to pick five wickets for 17 runs.

He finished the IPL with 12 wickets in six encounters and is currently leading the Perth Scorchers' attack in the Big Bash League, where he has bagged as many as 12 wickets in the first three matches.

#6 Hasan Ali

The pacer played T20 cricket for Pakistan, Comilla Victorians, Islamabad, Peshawar Zalmi and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots this calendar year and bagged 46 wickets in 35 matches. He is the joint fourth-highest wicket-taker in T20s this year and also the highest wicket-taker among pacers.

The youngster would want to continue the good work he has been doing recently.

#5 Imran Tahir

The South African leg-spinner has been one of the best T20 bowlers for quite some time now and he proved that yet again this year. Tahir picked 55 wickets in 43 matches playing for South Africa, Derbyshire, Dolphins, Rising Pune Supergiant and World-XI this year.

He is third on the list of highest wicket-takers in T20s this year behind two fellow spinners. The leggie was also the fifth highest wicket-taker in the IPL with 18 wickets in 12 matches.

#4 Yuzvendra Chahal

The Indian rockstar is one of the most effective bowlers in the shortest format of the sport. In 24 T20 matches this year, Chahal bagged 37 wickets with best figures of 6/25.

The leg-spinner didn't have the best of IPLs but whenever he took the field for India, he troubled the opposition batsmen more often than not and was the highest Indian wicket-taker in T20s.

#3 Sunil Narine

The West Indian T20 specialist, Sunil Narine was the second highest T20 wicket-taker this year with 62 wickets in 64 encounters. He played in almost every lucrative T20 league going around, featuring for the likes of Dhaka Dynamites, Kolkata Knight Riders, Lahore Qalandars, Melbourne Renegades, Trinbago Knight Riders and West Indies.

Along with destroying oppositions for fun with the ball, Narine had a good year with the bat as well.

#2 Shadab Khan

Pakistan's Shadab Khan finishes second on the list behind a fellow 19-year-old spinner. The leg-spinner bagged 46 wickets in 35 matches at a brilliant economy rate of 6.29 while featuring for Pakistan, Brisbane Heat, Islamabad United, Rawalpindi and Trinbago Knight Riders.

The joint fourth-highest wicket taker this year, he is currently playing for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League and has already taken six wickets in his first three encounters.

#1 Rashid Khan

The Afghanistan international is Sportskeeda's T20 bowler of the year and officially the highest-wicket taker as well. The teenager has bagged 78 wickets in 55 matches at an astonishing economy rate of 5.55 while playing for Afghanistan, Adelaide Strikers, Band-e-Amir Dragons, Comilla Victorians, Guyana Amazon Warriors and Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2017.

He picked a career-best five wickets for three runs against Ireland in Greater Noida this year as well. Rashid is undoubtedly on his way to greatness, at least in limited overs cricket, and his best bowling figures in an innings across formats tell the whole story. ODIs: 7/18, T20Is: 5/3 and First-Class: 8/74.