The Ten Greatest T20 Bowlers

It won’t be unfair to say that the T20 format favours the batters the most. That’s why bowlers have to be at their absolute best to carve out a special place for themselves.

In the short history of T20 cricket, we have witnessed bowlers dominating the proceedings by using their skills and outsmarting the batters to bag heaps of wickets.

A few notable bowlers have been doing this consistently for a long time, earning the tag of a modern-day legend of the shortest format.

On that note, here we’ll look at the 10 greatest T20 bowlers who have left an indelible mark.

#10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has to be one of the best new ball craftsmen in limited-overs cricket. He may not have the luxury of bowling pace, but he can deceive batters with his swing bowling skills.

Moreover, Bhuvi has the capability to deliver slower balls and accurate yorkers in death overs, making him a complete bowler. His consistency and top-notch bowling skills have played a key role in his team’s success.

With close to 300 T20 wickets, he has proved his worth as a dependable bowler in the shortest format.

#9 Dale Steyn

There are quite a few bowlers who have used pace and swing as efficiently as Dale Steyn. He brought his Test bowling experience to the T20s and wreaked havoc on batters, making him a destructive bowler.

Steyn’s aggressive and pulsating bowling spells gave major breakthroughs to his team, often giving them an edge over the opposition. In his 228-match T20 career, he picked up 263 wickets at an economy of under 7 and a strike rate of close to 19.

#8 Saeed Ajmal

Saeed Ajmal made his foray into cricket a bit late, however, he quickly rose to prominence with his deceptive off spin. The Pakistani spinner troubled batters with his off spin, doosra, and subtle variations in flight and pace.

Ajmal’s bowling skills were crucial during the middle overs, where he tightened his grip over batters without conceding a lot of runs. If not for his frequent suspensions due to illegal bowling action, he would have made a great career in the shortest format.

Nevertheless, Ajmal had a good stint, garnering 271 wickets in 195 T20s at an economy of 6.50.

#7 Jasprit Bumrah

With his unorthodox bowling action and unusual release point, many batters have failed to pick up Jasprit Bumrah’s deliveries. To add to that, Bumrah can make batter’s lives even tougher with his accurate toe-crushing yorkers.

The pacer has been a key asset for India and Mumbai Indians, delivering many match-defining spells. Bumrah’s ability to thrive under pressure makes him a go-to bowler in any situation.

#6 Imran Tahir

Imran Tahir has earned plaudits for his excellent leg spin bowling skills while turning for more than 30 teams in his career. The South African has lots of variations in his armoury, with googly being the most potent weapon.

Apart from his noteworthy bowling skills, his marathon-like celebrations after taking a wicket make him an absolute character. Recently, Tahir joined the 500 wickets club in T20 cricket, becoming only the fourth to go past the milestone.

#5 Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan, one of the best cricketers to represent Bangladesh on the global stage, has been instrumental with his left-arm spin in T20s. 

His accuracy and consistency in keeping batters calm have materialised in bagging a haul of wickets. Shakib’s batting skills have also complimented well with his bowling, placing him among the great all-rounders.

Right now, he is on the verge of scalping over 500 wickets in the shortest format, plying his trade in international and franchise cricket.

#4 Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine has to be one of the early players to make a mark as a specialist T20 bowler. The Caribbean spinner couldn’t build an incredible career in international cricket, but he found his abode in T20 franchise cricket, turning up for several teams and doing what he does best.

Narine’s mystery spin has made him a dominant force, with many variations in his repertoire. Many notable batters have failed to pick up his clever bowling changes, often resulting in losing their wickets.

Narine is still going strong, hopping from one league to another and picking up wickets. He has dismissed over 550 batters, maintaining an impeccable economy of around 6.

#3 Rashid Khan

When Rashid Khan burst onto the cricketing scene, he took the world by storm with his leg spin. His effective leg spin bowling has left many notable batters bamboozled, making him one of the most successful bowlers in T20 cricket.

That enormous success has helped him bag many deals in franchise cricket, globetrotting the world, and bagging wickets for fun. Rashid Khan has plenty of variations up his sleeve that make him a lethal bowler in this heavily batter-dominated format.

Rashid is still young and doesn’t look to stop any time soon. So there are high chances he might end up being the greatest T20 bowler.

#2 Dwayne Bravo

If there is one bowler who has mastered the art of bowling in death overs, then it has to be Dwayne Bravo. The Trinidadian all-rounder is an early legend of T20 cricket, having created a significant impact with both bat and ball.

However, Bravo’s bowling skills outweigh his batting, as he used variations cleverly at the fag end, restricting batters from running away and taking crucial wickets.

The West Indies bowler became the first bowler to grab 600 wickets in T20 cricket, showcasing his greatness.

#1 Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga is unarguably one of the greatest T20 bowlers. The Sri Lankan bowler rattled batters with his pin-point yorkers, which would uproot the stumps.

He was a consistent performer both on the international stage and in domestic T20 cricket. Malinga’s ability to deliver the best performances under pressure made him a crucial asset for any team.

In his 16-year-long T20 career, Slinga Malinga picked up 390 wickets in 295 appearances at an economy rate of 7.07 and a strike rate of 16.6.

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