T20 cricket is the reason the bowlers have been developing new deliveries each day. Earlier the bowlers used to ball inswinger, Outwinger, bouncer, or yorkers. But the use of slower deliveries has incremented since the introduction of the franchise league especially. Now each bowler has at least two variations apart from the stock ball. Cutters and knuckle balls have been dangerous weapons in T20 cricket. There are many bowlers who are conquering in T20 internationals. Let’s look at the top 9 most wickets in T20 internationals.
Lasith Malinga–Most Wickets In T20
Lasith Malinga is the top wicket-taker in T20 internationals. Malinga is probably the most lethal bowler the world has ever seen. He is popular for his yorkers and slower balls. Malinga has been playing for Sri Lanka in T20s since 2006. He played his first T20 in 2006 against England.
| matches | wickets | average | strike-rate | bbf | economy |
| 84 | 107 | 20.8 | 16.8 | 5/6 | 7.42 |
Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi is the 2nd highest wicket-taker in the history of international T20. The all-rounder from Pakistan was known for his speed variation in leg-spin bowling. The leggie made his T20 debut in 2006 against England. He has played T20 international for 12 years (2006-2018).
| matches | wickets | average | strike-rate | bbf | economy |
| 99 | 98 | 24.44 | 22.1 | 4/11 | 6.63 |
Shakib-Al-Hasan
Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib-Al-Hasan is the 3rd highest wicket-taker in the T20s. He is the only Bangladeshi on the list. Shakib is currently one of the best all-rounders playing the game. He made his first appearance in T20s for Bangladesh in 2006 against Zimbabwe. He has been playing for 14 years now.
| matches | wickets | average | strike-rate | bbf | economy |
| 76 | 92 | 20.58 | 18.1 | 5/20 | 6.81 |
Rashid Khan
Afghanistan sensation Rashid Khan is the 4th highest wicket-taker in international T20s. He is the youngest on the list and also has the best bowling average in the shortest format of the game. Rashid made his T20 debut in 2015 against Zimbabwe. His outstanding bowling has increased his demands in franchise leagues across the globe.
| matches | wickets | average | strike-rate | bbf | economy |
| 48 | 89 | 12.62 | 12.3 | 5/3 | 6.14 |
Tim Southee–Most Wickets In T20
Kiwi speedster Tim Southee is the 5th highest wicket-taker in the shortest format of the international T20. Southee is an awesome new ball bowler. He has been representing New Zealand in T20s since 2008. He played his first T20 international against England.
| matches | wickets | average | strike-rate | bbf | economy |
| 75 | 87 | 25.95 | 18.4 | 5/18 | 8.42 |
Umar Gul
Pakistani fast bowler Umar Gul is the 6th highest-wicket taker in the history of T20 internationals. He is the second Pakistani bowler on the list. Gul played the format for Pakistan for 9 years (2007-2016), playing his first match against Kenya.
| matches | wickets | average | strike-rate | bbf | economy |
| 60 | 85 | 16.97 | 14.1 | 5/6 | 7.19 |
Saeed Ajmal
Spin wizard Saeed Ajmal is the 7th highest wicket-taker in T20 internationals. Ajmal is one of the best spinners the world has ever seen and the toughest bowlers to face. He made his first appearance in T20s in 2009 against Australia. He has been around in the T20 internationals for 6 years (2009-2015).
| matches | wickets | average | strike-rate | bbf | economy |
| 64 | 85 | 17.83 | 16.8 | 4/19 | 6.36 |
George Dockrell
George Dockrell, the chinaman from Ireland is the 8th highest wicket-taker in the shortest format of international cricket. Dockrell has been playing T20s for Ireland since 2010. He made his debut against Afghanistan.
| matches | wickets | average | strike-rate | bbf | economy |
| 77 | 76 | 21.36 | 18 | 4/20 | 7.1 |
Mohammad Nabi
Afghan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi is the 9th highest wicket-taker in the T20s. It’s been 10 years since he has been playing T20 for Afghanistan. He has not only taken wickets, but has also scored 1347 runs. He is almost part of all the franchise leagues for his caliber with bat and ball. His first international T20 was against Ireland.
| matches | wickets | average | strike-rate | bbf | economy |
| 78 | 69 | 27.11 | 22.6 | 4/10 | 7.17 |
Ajantha Mendis–Most Wickets In T20
Srilankan mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis is the 10th highest wicket-taker in the T20 internationals. Initially, Mendis was very difficult to play as players were not accustomed to playing such deliveries. Mendis has played T20 for Srilanka for 6 years (2008-2014), making his debut against Zimbabwe.
| matches | wickets | average | strike-rate | bbf | economy |
| 39 | 66 | 14.4 | 13.4 | 6/8 | 6.45 |