The short format of the game has increased considerably in stature and records are being set and broken almost every day. Though the domestic T20 tournaments face criticism, the energy in the format is unmatched because of its milestone driven quality.
When Dwayne Bravo bowled a slow yorker to dismiss David Miller, he became the first bowler to bag 300 wickets in T20s.
Here is a list of the top five wicket takers in the T20 format, including both the international and domestic T20 matches:
1. Dwayne Bravo
With the West Indies entering the Indian Premier League on a high after winning the T20 World Cup, the team's twinkle toes Dwayne Bravo produced yet another blistering performance with the ball. Picking 4/22, he not only became the highest wicket-taker in T20s with 302 wickets in 292 matches, but was also instrumental in giving Gujarat Lions their first win in the IPL.
With a T20 career spanning over 10 years, Bravo has been a consistent performer in the IPL and other domestic T20 tournaments around the world. The former Chennai Super Kings player is also the only bowler to earn a purple cap twice in the tournament.
He got his best T20 figures of 5/23 in the Caribbean Premier League in 2015. Ranked as one of the best all-rounders in the limited overs format, he also tops the list in the most number of wickets taken by a West Indian in international T20s, 49 wickets in 61 matches.
2. Lasith Malinga:
The deadly Sri Lankan pacer is not far behind Bravo, with 299 wickets in 221 T20 matches. Malinga not only has the best average among the top five T20 wicket takers, but also has the highest number of wickets in the history of IPL, with 143 wickets in 98 games.
The former Sri Lankan T20 captain stepped down ahead of the 2016 T20 World cup owing to a knee injury, and is also doubtful about playing for Mumbai Indians this IPL. He has one of the best T20 bowling figures of 6/7, which he recorded during the Big Bash 2012, playing for Melbourne Stars against Perth Scorchers.
Malinga also has the lowest economy rate of 6.69 among the top five wicket-takers in the format.
3. Yasir Arafat:
With 277 wickets in 217 matches, The 34- year old all-rounder from Rawalpindi has T20 stats to boast about. He has ten four wicket hauls, the most by any bowler in T20s, a record which he shares with the Caribbean mystery spinner Sunil Narine.
The medium pacer stepped into English County in 2004 and played for Sussex, Lancashire and Kent, before he was signed by Hampshire in 2015. However, his T20 international career has not been satisfactory as his last match for Pakistan was during the T20 World Cup ion 2012.
He represented the Barisal Burners in the Bangladesh premier League in 2012 and also played for the Perth Scorchers in the 2013-14 Big Bash League.
4. Alfonso Thomas:
Though he has played just one T20 international for South Africa, Alfonso Thomas has significant figures in the format. Standing fourth on the list, way ahead of most of the other international T20 bowlers, Thomas has 263 wickets from 225 matches.
He has played for various South African domestic cricket teams and also stepped foot into the English county, playing for Warwickshire and Somerset. He was initially signed up by Adelaide strikers in the 2011-12 season of the Big Bash league and then shifted to Perth Scorchers the next season.
He took his career best of 4/8 in T20s at the WACA during the match against Melbourne renegades. Thomas's IPL career ended with the Pune warriors and he has not been picked by any other team since then.
5. Dirk Nannes:
Apart from the number of teams he has played for, Nannes has commendable T20 stats. Nannes has played in 215 T20 matches and has 257 wickets in his bag. Also, he has the second best economy of 7.40 in the top five.
He spearheaded Middlesex's victory in the 2008 domestic T20 Cup, where he clinched 20 wickets in the tournament and also got a six wicket haul in one of the matches. He was a also a key player for the Australian first-class team Victorian Bushrangers in 2008, with whom he destroyed Western Australia with figures of 4-23 in the final of the Big Bash.
Just two months after making his debut for Netherlands, he got a call up from Australia in August 2009. He also played for the side in the 2010 T20 World Cup, and also ended up being the highest wicket taker with 14 wickets.
He played for Delhi Daredevils in the second and third season of the IPL and replaced Glenn McGrath in the team. Royal Challengers Bangalore bagged him for $650,000 in the fourth season and he was then bought by CSK for the next season.
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