Leg spinners are always in high demand in T20Is. And that’s why most of the leg spinners are among the highest wicket-takers in this format.
Most T20I Wickets by Leg Spinners
| Player | Team | Innings | Wickets | Best Bowling (Innings) | Average | Economy | Strike Rate | 4W/5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rashid Khan | Afghanistan | 108 | 182 | 5/3 | 13.69 | 6.07 | 13.5 | 9/2 |
| Ish Sodhi | New Zealand | 126 | 157 | 4/12 | 22.34 | 7.98 | 16.7 | 4/0 |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | Sri Lanka | 89 | 147 | 4/9 | 15.87 | 6.92 | 13.7 | 4/0 |
| Adil Rashid | England | 127 | 145 | 4/2 | 23.93 | 7.48 | 19.1 | 4/0 |
| Adam Zampa | Australia | 105 | 134 | 5/19 | 21.24 | 7.37 | 17.2 | 2/1 |
| Sandeep Lamichhane | Nepal | 68 | 129 | 5/9 | 12.14 | 6.03 | 12.0 | 3/2 |
| Shadab Khan | Pakistan | 105 | 114 | 4/8 | 24.16 | 7.36 | 19.6 | |
| Shahid Afridi | Pakistan | 97 | 98 | 4/11 | 24.44 | 6.63 | 22.1 | 3/0 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | India | 79 | 96 | 6/25 | 25.09 | 8.19 | 18.3 | 2/1 |
| Dhruvkumar Maisuria | Botswana | 40 | 74 | 5/18 | 10.90 | 5.68 | 11.5 | 4/2 |
For a wider view of spin dominance, you can check the records by off-spinners in T20I here and overall spinners in T20I here.
Key Insights on Leg-Spinners’ Top Wicket-Taking Records in T20 International Cricket
Overall and Away Wicket-Taking Dominance
Rashid Khan has taken the most wickets among leg spinners in T20Is.
He is, in fact, the lead wicket-taker among all bowlers in T20Is.
Rashid Khan has never played in Afghanistan. So all of his wickets are the most by any bowler away from home in T20Is.
Rashid Khan is the only leg spinner to pick up more than 50 wickets in the death overs (17-20) in T20Is.
Samuel Badree has taken the most wickets in the powerplay overs (1-6) among leg spinners in T20Is, with 37 scalps in 50 innings.
Country-Specific and Opponent-Based Records
New Zealand’s Ish Sodhi is the lone leg spinner to pick up 70-plus wickets in his home country in T20Is.
Rashid Khan is the only other leggie to grab more than 70 wickets in a country in T20Is, having done so in the UAE.
Around 59 per cent of Rashid’s wickets have come at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE.
Rashid Khan is the only leg spinner to take 30 or more wickets against three opponent teams in T20Is.
Ish Sodhi has taken 15 or more scalps against five teams, the most by a leg spinner in T20Is.
Sodhi, Wanindu Hasaranga, Rashid Khan, Adil Rashid (England), Adam Zampa (Australia), and Shadab Khan (Pakistan) are the five leg spinners with 100-plus wickets in the middle overs (7-16) in T20Is.
Best Bowling Figures and Efficiency Stats
Singapore’s Harsha Bharadwaj has recorded the best bowling figures among leg spinners in T20Is. He claimed six wickets for three runs to bowl out Mongolia for 10 runs, the 2nd-lowest team total in T20I cricket.
Rashid Khan is the only right-arm wrist-spinner to take more than 10 four-wicket hauls in T20Is.
Rashid Khan, Imran Khan (South Africa), Sandeep Lamichhane (Nepal), Dhruvkumar Maisuria (Botswana), and Varun Chakravarthy (India) are the five leg-spinners with two five-wicket hauls in T20Is.
Botswana’s Dhruvkumar Maisuria is the only leg spinner to average below 11 in T20Is (minimum 500 balls bowled).
Japan’s Sabaorish Ravichandran is the lone right-arm wrist-spinner to have an economy rate below five in T20Is (minimum 500 balls bowled).
Maisuria and Lamichhane are the two leg spinners to have strike rates below 13 in T20Is (minimum 500 balls bowled).
Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane and Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga have picked up the joint-most wickets among leg spinners in a calendar year in T20Is. Lamichhane collected 38 scalps in 18 innings in 2022, while Hasaranga levelled the record in 2024, taking 38 wickets in 20 innings. See who tops the table in 2025 here.
