‘Brilliance in the powerplay, a wicket in the middle overs, and economical excellence at the death' - Best describes Arshdeep Singh’s abilities.  

First Indian to surpass 100 T20I wickets, Arshdeep Singh, in the recent years has become India’s death-overs specialist, with his accurate yorkers and 140kph-plus deliveries. The young left-arm fast-bowler from Punjab, Arshdeep, is one of only three Indian bowlers, after Jhulan Goswami and Ajit Agarkar, to start his T20I career with a maiden over.

However, only a few years ago, Singh’s biggest achievement was lifting the Under-19 World Cup in 2018. Arshdeep played only two matches in the tournament, taking three wickets, showing immense potential. Soon, he became a T20 World Cup Champion in 2024, but more on that later.

Arshdeep Singh’s Background and Early Life

Arshdeep Singh was born on 5 February 1999 in Guna, Madhya Pradesh, to Darshan Singh and Baljit Kaur, both Punjabi Jatt Sikhs. Notably, Arshdeep’s father was posted to Guna with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), where he worked for more than 25 years.

After moving to Kharar near Chandigarh, Arshdeep used to cycle 13 kilometres from his home to Guru Nanak Public School, Sector 36, Chandigarh, for practice. He started playing gully cricket with neighbourhood boys and in 2015 joined Jaswant Rai's cricket academy in Chandigarh.

Arshdeep Singh’s Domestic Career

Arshdeep Singh began his domestic career by appearing in the Katoch Shield, a Punjab State Inter-District Tournament. Fast forward, and he was part of the Indian Under-19 team, which won the 2018 Under-19 Cricket World Cup and went on to play for the Under-23 national side.

Later the same year, playing for Punjab in the Under-23 cricket team in the CK Nayudu Trophy, he took 8 wickets, including a hat-trick, in Rajasthan's second innings and 10 wickets in the match. Arshdeep went on to make his List A debut for Punjab in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy on 19 September 2018 and, in January 2019, made his first-class debut against Vidarbha in the 2019–20 Ranji Trophy.

In the 2023–24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Final between Punjab and Baroda, Baroda, needing 32 runs from the final two overs with seven wickets in hand, scored 24 runs in the 18th over. However, Arshdeep Singh took three wickets in five balls in the 19th over and conceded only four runs to help Punjab secure the inevitable-looking victory.

Arshdeep Singh’s IPL Career

In 2018, Arshdeep Singh’s dream to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) came true when he was bought by the Kings XI Punjab (now known as Punjab Kings) at his base price of 20 lakhs.

His IPL debut on April 16, 2019, against Rajasthan Royals was a memorable one, as he claimed two massive wickets of Jos Buttler and Ajinkya Rahane. Being a left-arm fast bowler and with the variety he brings to the table, Arshdeep has been at the top of the charts for the Punjab Kings of late in the IPL.

Arshdeep’s performances in the IPL have caught the attention of everyone. The then 21-year-old was the main reason for the resurrection of the Punjab Kings in the second half of the IPL 2020. Under the leadership of KL Rahul, he bagged 9 wickets in 8 games, and his death bowling skills were impressive.

Initially, the youngster lacked accuracy with pace, but with the consultation of India’s star pacer Mohammed Shami, he improved a lot. Backed up by the entire management of Punjab Kings, from the head coach Anil Kumble to the bowling coach Charl Langeveldt, who took him under his wings and helped him build on his potential.

While Arshdeep’s wicket-tally witnessed a jump in IPL 2023, ending at the mark of 17th, he leaked runs at an economy of 9.70, raising concerns over his ability to bowl in the slog overs.

That being said, in a match against the Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium, Arshdeep bowled two successive swinging yorkers that broke the stumps, each worth 24 lakhs. Thus, the rarity of such an occurrence, along with the price of equipment, received considerable attention in the media.

Notably, in the IPL 2025 auction, Arshdeep became one of the buys and the highest-paid pacer in the tournament, after PBKS bought him back for INR 18 crore using the Right to Match (RTM) card. Proving value for his price, in the same season, Arshdeep became the highest wicket-taker in Punjab Kings' IPL history.

Arshdeep Singh’s T20I Career

On July 7, 2022, Arshdeep Singh earned his maiden India cap and made his debut against England after consistent performances in the IPL. However, he was just a part of the first T20I and bagged two wickets.

Moving on, with no Jasprit Bumrah around the corner, Arshdeep filled the void in the Indian bowling attack in the 2022 T20 World Cup. He was India's leading wicket-taker with 10 scalps in the mega-event.

While Arshdeep’s exclusion from India’s ODI World Cup 2023 squad was on the expected lines, he instead brought the nation glory as the Indian men’s cricket team won a gold medal in their debut appearance in the Asian Games. Arshdeep took four wickets in the tournament at an economy of 7.

By 2024, Arshdeep had cemented his position in the Indian set-up. In his consecutive ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Arshdeep Singh became the first Indian bowler to pick up a wicket with the very first ball of a T20 World Cup game. He amassed 17 wickets in the tournament, a joint record for most wickets in a single edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. His brilliant spell of 20 runs for 2 wickets contributed to India’s win over South Africa in the final.

Moreover, in just his 64th T20 game during the series against England, he became the fastest pacer to pick 100 wickets in T20 internationals. Prior to that, in the same tour, Arshdeep became the leading wicket-taker for India in T20Is.

Arshdeep Singh’s ODI Career

In November 2022, the left-arm pacer made his ODI debut against New Zealand, but returned wicketless and proved expensive.

In 2023, he returned to the ODI fold and was named the Player of the Series versus South Africa. He claimed 10 scalps, including a fifer, in three outings. He became the first Indian pacer and fourth overall from his country to bag a five-wicket haul against the Proteas in the ODI format.

One of his biggest milestones was his inclusion in the Champions Trophy Squad for India. However, Arshdeep Singh did not receive a chance in any matches during the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. 

(As of February 2026)