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Rashid Khan (L) and Kuldeep Yadav (R) (Source: AFP)
The star Afghanistan spinner, Rashid Khan, has established himself as one of the greatest bowlers of all time in T20s in his 11-year-long T20 career since 2015. He has played 515 games, including appearances in franchise leagues and for Afghanistan in T20Is.
In these appearances, he has scalped 696 wickets in 510 innings, with a decent economy rate of 6.58, including 18 four-wicket hauls and four five-wicket hauls. He is the leading wicket-taker of all time in the T20 format.
Meanwhile, there are some of the currently active bowlers who are in a race to break Rashid Khan’s record of most T20 wickets. Therefore, here’s a look at the five bowlers who can surpass Rashid Khan to achieve this milestone.
5 Bowlers who can break Rashid Khan’s record for most T20 wickets
Sunil Narine
The Caribbean off-spin great, Sunil Narine, has been in action in the franchise T20 leagues since he played his last T20I appearance in 2019. He is one of the most successful bowlers of all time in T20s, with 613 wickets in 573 innings of 583 T20 games he has played.
In his almost 15-year-long T20 career, Narine has featured in the major franchise leagues, including the likes of the Indian Premier League, Big Bash League, Caribbean Premier League, and Pakistan Super League.
He is also set to be in the upcoming IPL 2026 for the three-time champions, KKR. The 37-year-old is also expected to be in action in IPL and CPL for the next few years, which opens the possibilities of him surpassing Rashid Khan as the leading wicket-taker of all time in T20s.
Arshdeep Singh
The star India pace spearhead, Arshdeep Singh, is currently the leading wicket-taker in T20Is for India. Besides that, he is also one of the leading wicket-takers in T20s among the Indian bowlers.
Arshdeep’s T20 career started with an IPL game for the Punjab Kings against the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2019. Since then, he has featured in 185 T20 games, picking up 242 wickets in 183 innings at an economy rate of 8.55, including five four-wicket hauls and one five-wicket haul.
Considering his chances to bowl with the new ball and a lot of active cricketing years left in him, Arshdeep can also become the leading wicket-taker of all time in T20s, surpassing Rashid Khan.
Mustafizur Rahman
The veteran pacer, Mustafizur Rahman, is the most successful bowler of all time in T20s among the Bangladesh bowlers. He has bagged 412 wickets in 320 innings of the 322 games he has played. It includes six four-wicket hauls and four five-wicket hauls to his name.
In the near future, Mustafizur Rahman is expected to be in action for Bangladesh and the other franchise T20 leagues. Among the currently active bowlers, Mustafizur Rahman is one of the closest to Rashid Khan’s record for most T20 wickets.
Hence, he is one of the top candidates in the list of the five bowlers who can break Rashid Khan’s record of the most T20 wickets.
Adam Zampa
The veteran Australia spinner, Adam Zampa has featured for 17 teams, including the national Aussie side. He has played across leagues such as the IPL, BBL, CPL, and PSL. Since his debut in December 2012, he has played 321 games.
The 33-year-old has bowled in 315 innings of these 321 appearances, picking up 400 wickets at an economy rate of 7.48, with four four-wicket hauls and three five-wicket hauls. He is the leading wicket-taker of all time in T20s among the Australian bowlers.
If Zampa gets at least 120-150 T20 games to play, he can comfortably break Rashid Khan’s record of 696 wickets in T20s.
Kuldeep Yadav
The left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav has been in action for various teams in T20s, including India, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and his home state team, Uttar Pradesh.
He made his T20 debut in 2014, and in his almost 12-year-long T20 career, Kuldeep has bagged 240 wickets in 183 innings of the 188 games he has played. In these appearances, he has also claimed eight four-wicket hauls and three five-wicket hauls.
Kuldeep's run of form with the ball also hints towards his longer career in the shortest format of the game. He is also capable of surpassing Rashid Khan and becoming the leading wicket-taker of all time in T20s.
