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Sunil Narine (L) and Jasprit Bumrah (R) (Source: AFP)
The veteran West Indies off-spinner, Sunil Narine, has been one of the most economical bowlers in the history of T20 cricket. Besides that, he has one of the rarest milestones to his name in the shortest format of the game.
Narine has bowled the most maiden overs in the T20s. There have been 34 overs in his career when he hasn’t conceded any runs. The gap between him and second-placed Mohammad Amir is six maiden overs.
Meanwhile, if we look further at the list, some bowlers in the top five are currently active. That said, here, we’ll have a look at the 5 bowlers who can break Sunil Narine’s record of most maidens in T20 cricket.
5 Bowlers who can break Sunil Narine’s record of most maidens
Shakib Al Hasan - Bangladesh
The veteran Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been one of the most successful bowlers in T20 Cricket. He is the sixth-leading wicket-taker of all time in T20s with 507 wickets in 470 games, including 12 four-wicket hauls and five five-wicket hauls.
Besides that, he is also in the third spot in the list of bowlers with the most maiden overs in the shortest format of the game. He has bowled 27 maiden overs and is just seven maidens away from equalling Sunil Narine and 8 from breaking the latter’s record.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar - India
The veteran India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is among the most economical Indian pacers in T20 cricket. Besides that, he ranks fourth among the bowlers with the most maiden overs in T20 cricket, with 26 maiden overs in 316 T20 games he has played across different leagues, alongside internationals.
Bhuvi will be in action for RCB in the upcoming IPL 2026. His deceptive slower ones leave batters clueless, and he can increase the number of maiden overs to his name in T20s while bowling in the 19th IPL edition.
So, Bhuvneshwar Kumar could also be a bowler to break Sunil Narine’s record of most maiden overs in T20 cricket.
Jasprit Bumrah - India
The star India pace spearhead, Jasprit Bumrah, has the record of bowling the most maiden overs in T20Is among the full-time cricket-playing teams. He has bowled 12 maiden overs in 84 innings of the 87 games he has played in the format.
In these matches, he has scalped 107 wickets, with a decent economy rate of 6.54, including the best performance of ‘three wickets for just seven runs in a match’. Apart from his maiden overs in T20Is, Bumrah is placed at the fifth spot among the bowlers with the most maiden overs of all time in the T20s.
Overall in T20s, Bumrah has bowled 22 maiden overs across 262 games, including three four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls. So, he is one of the strong contenders to become the bowler with the most maiden overs in T20s, surpassing Sunil Narine.
Mustafizur Rahman - Bangladesh
The veteran Bangladesh pacer, Mustafizur Rahman has been leading his national side’s pace attack for the last decade since his debut in 2015. He has scalped 412 wickets in 322 games, including six four-wicket hauls and four-wicket hauls.
Mustafizur Rahman has also bowled 18 maiden overs in his T20 career, making him one of the bowlers with the most maiden overs in the game's fastest format. He is also in the race to surpass Sunil Narine and become the bowler with the most maiden overs in the T20s.
Rashid Khan - Afghanistan
The star Afghanistan spinner, Rashid Khan, is the most successful bowler in T20 cricket, being the leading wicket-taker of all time in the format. He has claimed 696 wickets in 510 innings of the 515 games he has played. It also includes 18 four-wicket hauls and four five-wicket hauls on his credit.
Alongside his wicket-taking ability, Rashid is also one of the bowlers with the most maiden overs in T20s. He has bowled 17 maiden overs so far in his T20 career. So, he also has a knack for breaking Sunil Narine’s record and reaching the top of this list.
