The top wicket-takers in each edition of the T20 World Cup

Over seven editions of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, we have seen six different bowlers lead the wickets chart at each edition with one bowler finishing at the top of the pile twice.

Spinners have dominated the wickets chart in the last few editions but the early chapters of the tournament were marked by some standout performances from the quicks.

Here we list down the leading wicket-takers from each edition of the tournament.

Lighting up the big stage: A look at Player of the Tournament winners in ICC Men's T20 World Cup history

2007 T20 World Cup - Umar Gul

A key player in Pakistan’s run to the final in the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa, Umar Gul began the tournament with a four-wicket haul against Scotland.

He went wicketless in the bowl-out loss against India, but took three wickets against the same side in the final, albeit finishing on the losing side on both occasions.

Gul’s best in the tournament came against New Zealand in the semi-final, when he took 3/15 to win the Player of the Match award.

Gul finished with 13 wickets in the tournament, one more than Stuart Clark, Shahid Afridi and RP Singh. He averaged 11.92 with the ball and conceded runs at an impressive economy rate of 5.60.

2009 T20 World Cup - Umar Gul

For the second time in a row, Umar Gul led the wickets chart at the T20 World Cup, taking 13 wickets at an average of 12.15 and an economy rate of 6.44.

He was closely followed by Ajantha Mendis, Saeed Ajmal and Lasith Malinga, all of whom took 12 wickets.

Gul produced a career-best performance against New Zealand, snaring five wickets for six runs at The Oval as Pakistan bowled the Kiwis out for 99. It remains one of the most economical five-wicket hauls in the format still.

He took just one wicket in the final, but finished on the winning side as Pakistan clinched the T20 World Cup title beating Sri Lanka at Lord’s.

2010 T20 World Cup - Dirk Nannes

A key part of Australia’s bowling attack in the Caribbean Islands in this tournament, Dirk Nannes finished as the leading wicket-taker in the T20 WC, taking 14 wickets at an average of 13.07 and an economy rate just over seven.

He took three-plus wicket hauls against Pakistan, Bangladesh and India, but went wicketless in the final as Australia lost to England.

Incidentally, he only played three more T20Is since that final, with his last T20I coming in the same year.

2012 T20 World Cup - Ajantha Mendis

With 15 wickets in six matches in the tournament, Ajantha Mendis set the international stage of fire, but could not finish the tournament with a title win despite his stellar showing.

In the final against West Indies, Mendis bowled his heart out to finish with 4/12, taking the wickets of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell.

However, West Indies went on to beat Sri Lanka to win their first T20 World Cup title.

Mendis had a stunning tournament, taking six for eight in the opening match against Zimbabwe, a world record in the format that wasn’t broken until seven years later.

2014 T20 World Cup - Imran Tahir and Ahsan Malik

South Africa’s Imran Tahir and Netherlands’ Ahsan Malik shared the top honours for bowlers at the T20 World Cup in 2014, taking 12 wickets apiece.

Malik took a five-wicket haul against South Africa in a superb bowling show from the team. He also played a vital role in helping Netherlands qualify from the first round.

Tahir took 4/21 against Netherlands to win the Player of the Match in a close game. He took at least one wicket in each of the five games in the tournament, but South Africa crashed out in the semi-finals against India.

2016 T20 World Cup - Mohammad Nabi

Afghanistan’s spinners made a mighty impression at the T20 World Cup in India with Nabi and Rashid Khan finishing at the top of the wicket-takers’ chart. Nabi took 12 wickets, averaging 13.66 while Rashid took 11 at an average of 16.63.

Nabi took 4/20 against Hong Kong in Nagpur before an impressive 2/17 in the Super 10 phase helped Afghanistan restrict England to 142/7.

In Nagpur against the West Indies, Nabi once again played a key role, taking 2/26 after taking the new ball on a slow track.

He picked the big wicket of Dwayne bravo, the top-scorer for West Indies, to tilt the game Afghanistan’s way.

With 10 needed off the final over, Nabi picked the wicket of Carlos Brathwaite and conceded just three runs in the over to help Afghanistan win the match against the eventual champions.

2021 T20 World Cup - Wanindu Hasaranga

With 16 wickets in 8 matches at the T20 World Cup, Wanindu Hasaranga stole the show with the ball in UAE.

The leg-spinner led Sri Lanka past the first round with a brilliant all-round showing (71 & 1/12) against Ireland being the highlight.

He then put on fine performances against the non-Asian giants, Australia, South Africa and England, taking 2/22, 3/20 including a hat-trick, and 3/21, but Sri Lanka ended up losing all three matches.

He ended the tournament with another good showing against West Indies (2/19) and finished with a bowling average of 9.75 and an economy rate of 5.20 in the T20 WC.

His tally of 16 wickets in the tournament is the most taken by any bowler in a single edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.