Asia Cup 2025: Top 5 wicket-takers in competition history (T20Is)

The T20 Asia Cup comes in brief spurts, where one spell can turn an entire campaign on its head. The restricted number of Asia Cup matches ensures that one five-for or series of opening blows in a single edition can elevate a player into the all-time list. That is why the tournament's all-time wicket tables have a combination of familiar names and one-edition stars. A couple of brilliant performances in one or two games can total more than long international careers. These are the top five bowlers with the most wickets in Men's T20 Asia Cup history.

1. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India) — 13 wickets

Bhuvneshwar tops the list with 13 wickets to his name in just six games across the 2016 and 2022 editions. He produced the kind of seam bowling that the short format rarely rewards, i.e. with movement, control and tight lines that force mistakes from batters. 

The 2022 Asia Cup in particular underlined his value, where he finished the tournament with a standout spell and the best figures on the trophy’s innings list (5/4). Those performances are why he leads the all-time wicket chart for the T20 Asia Cup. 

2. Amjad Javed (UAE) — 12 wickets

Amjad is a reminder that Associate teams can leave a big footprint on trophy records. Even though his team could not make too big an impact, he surely left his imprint on the record book. 

He played in just a single edition of the tournament, where he performed incredibly and scalped away 12 wickets, which remains one of the best performances by a bowler still. He played in the 2016 edition, showing 12 wickets from seven matches, and it’s enough to keep him second on the career list. For associates, the Asia Cup is the main stage where bowlers who seize that stage (like Amjad did) get written into the history books. 

3. Mohammad Naveed (UAE) — 11 wickets

Another name from an associate nation and from the same team of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammad Naveed. Naveed’s reputation in Asia Cup circles comes from one strong edition (2016), where his control and ability to hit good lengths produced regular breakthroughs. 

He took 11 wickets in seven games with just an economy of 5.24, and the raw wicket count puts him in the top five alongside better-known international names. This is a proof that a focused tournament haul can outweigh longer but less explosive careers. 

4. Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) — 11 wickets

Rashid’s presence on the list is hardly surprising. Even in a short competition, he has the leg-spin, pace of arm and the wicket-taking instinct that the T20s demand. His tally across Asia Cup appearances reflects both his consistency and his ability to break partnerships in the middle overs, exactly the moments a tournament with few matches rewards. 

With 11 wickets across eight games, this performance is actually something that you don’t expect from him, but find him at the top of the list.

5. Hardik Pandya (India) — 11 wickets

Hardik’s standing here shows the value of multi-phase utility. He bowls in all parts of an innings, i.e. powerplay, middle overs and at the death. And that versatility from him translates into wickets in this format. His 11 Asia Cup T20 scalps from eight matches he has featured in place him among specialist bowlers on the all-time list.

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