India’s 5 Highest Wicket-Takers in Men’s T20 Asia Cup Featuring Hardik Pandya

Asia Cup 2025 will start with a Group B match between Afghanistan and Hong Kong at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, September 9. The tournament is in T20 format and is being seen as an important preparation for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka.

This will be the 17th edition of the Asia Cup. So far, only two editions have been played in the T20 format, while all the others were in ODI format. The tournament was first played as a T20 event in 2016 in Bangladesh and for the second time in 2022 in the UAE.

Team India won the 2016 edition by beating hosts Bangladesh by eight wickets in the final at Mirpur. However, in 2022, the Men in Blue could not reach the final as they struggled in the Super Four round. Ahead of Asia Cup 2025, in this article, we shared India’s five highest wicket-takers in the T20 men’s Asia Cup.

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3. Jasprit Bumrah, R Ashwin, and Ashish Nehra

Pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Ashish Nehra, along with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, are tied for third among Indian bowlers with the most wickets in the T20 men’s Asia Cup. Each has six wickets in the tournament. While Ashwin and Nehra have retired from international cricket, Bumrah can add to his tally in the upcoming edition in the UAE.

Bumrah picked six wickets in five matches at an average of 15.66 and an economy of 5.22. His best figures of 2-27 came against Sri Lanka in Mirpur in 2016, where he dismissed Shehan Jayasuriya and Chamara Kapugedera as India won by five wickets.

Nehra took six wickets in four matches during the 2016 edition, with an average of 16.50 and an economy of 7.07. His best of 3-23 came against Bangladesh in Mirpur, dismissing Mohammad Mithun, Mahmudullah, and Mashrafe Mortaza as India won by 45 runs.

Ashwin played six matches in the T20 men’s Asia Cup, claiming six wickets at an average of 23.83 and an economy of 6.50. His best of 2-26 came against Sri Lanka in 2016, where he dismissed Milinda Siriwardana and Thisara Perera as India won by five wickets.

2. Hardik Pandya

All-rounder Hardik Pandya is second on the list of Indian bowlers with the most wickets in the T20 men’s Asia Cup. In eight matches, he took 11 wickets at an average of 18.81 and an economy of 7.01.

His best figures of 3-8 were registered against Pakistan in Mirpur in 2016, dismissing Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Sami, and Mohammad Amir as India won by five wickets. He also had figures of 3-25 against Pakistan in Dubai in 2022 and scored 33 off 17 balls*, helping India win another thrilling game.

1. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is India’s leading wicket-taker in the T20 men’s Asia Cup. In six matches, he picked up 13 wickets at an average of 9.46 and an economy of 5.34, including one five-wicket haul and one four-wicket haul.

Bhuvneshwar took sensational 5-4 against Afghanistan in Dubai during the 2022 Super Four clash, dismissing Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Karim Janat, Najibullah Zadran, and Azmatullah Omarzai. Chasing 213, Afghanistan were held to 111-8. He also claimed 4-26 against Pakistan in 2022, dismissing Babar Azam, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, and Naseem Shah, helping India bowl Pakistan out for 147.