On Tuesday, September 9, Afghanistan and Hong Kong will play a Group B match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi for the Asia Cup 2025. The T20 format competition is seen as a crucial prelude to the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be played in India and Sri Lanka.
The 17th Asia Cup will be the most recent competition. The ODI format has been used for all previous editions, with only two being played in the T20 format thus far. The competition was first held as a T20 event in Bangladesh in 2016 and again in the United Arab Emirates in 2022.
In the last one at Mirpur, Team India overcome the hosts, Bangladesh, by eight wickets to be the winner of the 2016 tournament. But in the stage of the Super Four, the Men in Blue performed poorly and failed to take part in the best battle of 2022. As part of the run up to 2025 Asia Cup, we analyze the top five wicket-takers in the T20 men Asia cup by India.
3. Jasprit Bumrah, R Ashwin and Ashish Nehra
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Ashish Nehra are tied for third place among Indian bowlers with the most wickets in the T20 men’s Asia Cup. Each of the three has taken six wickets in the competition. Ashwin and Nehra are no longer playing international cricket, but Bumrah will have the opportunity to increase his total at the next tournament in the United Arab Emirates.
Bumrah has taken six wickets at an economy rate of 5.22 and an average of 15.66 in five games. At the 2016 tournament, the right-arm pacer recorded his best figures of 2-27 at Mirpur against Sri Lanka. As a result, India triumphed by five wickets after he dismissed Chamara Kapugedera and Shehan Jayasuriya.
Similarly, in the 2016 T20 men’s Asia Cup, Nehra claimed six wickets in four matches. His average and economy rate stood at 16.50 and 7.07, respectively. Notably, Nehra starred against Bangladesh, taking a best of 3-23 in Mirpur. He dismissed Mashrafe Mortaza, Mahmudullah, and Muhammad Mithun, helping Team India triumph by 45 runs.
In six games at the 2016 T20 men’s Asia Cup, Ashwin claimed six wickets at an economy rate of 6.50 and an average of 23.83. Notably, he recorded his best figures of 2-26 against Sri Lanka. As a result, in India’s five-wicket victory over the Sri Lankan side, he dismissed Thisara Perera and Milinda Siriwardana.
2. Hardik Pandya
In the T20 men’s Asia Cup, all-rounder Hardik Pandya ranks second among Indian bowlers in terms of wickets taken. The right-arm pacer has claimed 11 wickets in eight games at an economy rate of 7.01 and an average of 18.81.
Hardik recorded his best figures of 3-8 against Pakistan at Mirpur in 2016. He dismissed Shoaib Malik and removed Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Amir, helping India defeat Pakistan by five wickets.
In 2022, he also recorded 3–25 against the same opposition in Dubai. In addition to smashing 33* off 17, Pandya helped India win the thrilling match by five wickets.
1. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the senior-most bowler in Team India, who is top in taking wickets in the T20 men Asia Cup. The right arm seamer has been able to take 13 wickets at an economy rate of 5.34 and an average of 9.46 in six matches. Bhuvneshwar to his credit has one five-fer and one four-fer.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar produced an amazing 5-4 in four overs during the 2022 Super Four against Afghanistan in Dubai. In the first over, he dismissed Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and later added the wickets of Karim Janat, Najibullah Zadran, and Azmatullah Omarzai. Consequently, Afghanistan managed only 111-8 while chasing 213.
Furthermore, Bhuvneshwar shone against Pakistan, taking 4-26 in the same event. He bowled out Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, and Babar Azam. As a result, India surpassed Pakistan’s total of 147 with two balls to spare.
