Top 5 bowlers with most wickets in T20Is ft. Rashid Khan

Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan registered figures of 3-21 from his four overs as his side beat United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 38 runs in a T20I tri-series match in Sharjah. Sent into bat by UAE in match number three of the tri-series played on Monday, September 1, Afghanistan put up 188-4 on the board in their 20 overs and then held the opposition to 150-8.

Both leg-spinner Rashid and left-arm spinner Sharafuddin Ashraf claimed three wickets each, while Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mohammad Nabi chipped in with one apiece. Rashid first trapped Ethan D'Souza lbw for 12 and then knocked over Asif Khan for one. With the scalp of Dhruv Parashar (1), the Afghanistan skipper created history, becoming the leading wicket-taker in T20Is.

In the wake of Rashid's record-breaking feat achieved in the match against UAE on Monday, we take the look at the top five leading wicket-takers in T20I cricket.

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#5 Mustafizur Rahman

Bangladesh's seasoned left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman is fifth on the list of bowlers with most wickets in T20Is. In 113 matches, he has claimed 142 wickets at an average of 20.84 and an economy rate of 7.30. The 29-year-old has two five-fers and three four-fers to his name in T20Is.

Mustafizur's best of 6-10 came against USA in Prairie View in May 2024. His sensational bowling effort saw the USA being held to 104-9 in 20 overs. Bangladesh chased down the target in 11.4 overs, with all 10 wickets in hand. The left-armer also claimed 5-22 against New Zealand in Kolkata in the 2016 T20 World Cup Super 10 match. The Kiwis, however, won the game by 75 runs.

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#4 Shakib Al Hasan

Another Bangladesh star, Shakib Al Hasan also features on the illustrious list. The former skipper ended his T20I career with 149 wickets in 129 matches at an average of 20.91 and an economy rate of 6.81. Shakib claimed two five-fers and six four-fers in his T20I career.

The left-arm spinner's best figures of 5-20 were registered against West Indies in Dhaka in December 2018. Shakib also scored 42* off 26 and was named Player of the Match for his all-round effort as Bangladesh beat West Indies by 36 runs. The versatile cricketer also claimed 5-22 against Ireland in Chattogram in March 2023. His wonderful effort resulted in a 77-run win for the home team.

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#3 Ish Sodhi

New Zealand leg-spinner Ish Sodhi is an unexpected name on the list. The 32-year-old has claimed exactly 150 wickets in 126 matches at an average of 22.52 and an economy rate of 7.95. Sodhi has claimed four four-fers in his T20I career.

The Kiwi spinner's best figures of 4-12 were registered against Zimbabwe in Harare in July 2025, a match New Zealand won by 60 runs. Amazingly, Sodhi has registered identical figures of 4-28 three times in his T20I career - vs Australia in Christchurch (February 2021), vs Bangladesh in Hamilton (March 2021) and v Scotland in Edinburgh (July 2022).

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#2 Tim Southee

Former New Zealand pacer Tim Southee is second on the list of bowlers with most wickets in the T20I format. In 126 matches between 2008 and 2024, Southee claimed 164 wickets at an average of 22.38 and an economy rate of exactly eight. He picked up two five-fers and two four-fers in his T20I career.

Player	Matches	Wickets	Average	BBI	Economy	5w	4w
Rashid Khan	98	165	13.75	5-3	6.07	2	8
Tim Southee	126	164	22.38	5-18	8	2	3
Ish Sodhi	126	150	22.52	4-12	7.95	0	4
Shakib Al Hasan	129	149	20.91	5-20	6.81	2	6
Mustafizur Rahman	113	142	20.84	6-10	7.30	2	3

(Stats of top 5 bowlers with most T20I wickets)

Southee's best figures of 5-18 were registered against Pakistan in Auckland in December 2010. He was named Player of the Match as the Kiwis won by five wickets. The Kiwi legend also picked up 5-25 against UAE in Dubai in August 2023. Thanks to his heroics, New Zealand registered a 19-run victory.

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#1 Rashid Khan

Afghanistan skipper Rashid is now the leading wicket-taker in the T20I format. In just 98 matches, the 26-year-old has picked up 165 wickets at an average of 13.75 and an economy rate of 6.07. Rashid has two five-fers and eight four-fers to his credit in the T20I format.

The seasoned leg-spinner's best of 5-3 came off just two overs against Ireland in Greater Noida in March 2017. His heroics resulted in a 17-run win [DLS method] for Afghanistan. Rashid also claimed 5-27 against Ireland in Dehradun in February 2019 as Afghanistan registered a 32-run win.