In T20I cricket, the powerplay phase is challenging for every bowling side. Thanks to the fielding restrictions, opponent batters go bang bang from the first ball, putting bowlers under pressure.
However, a few bowlers have used the new ball skillfully to unsettle batters, resulting in grabbing crucial wickets. They have also replicated their success in the all-important T20 World Cup.
Here we’ll look at the top 10 bowlers with the most wickets in powerplay in T20 World Cup history.
Most Wickets in Powerplay in T20 World Cup
| Player | Wickets | Innings | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angelo Mathews (SL) | 15 | 25 | 5.60 |
| Shaheen Shah Afridi (PAK) | 15 | 17 | 5.72 |
| Trent Boult (NZ) | 14 | 18 | 5.50 |
| Mohammad Amir (PAK) | 14 | 21 | 5.78 |
| Kagiso Rabada (SA) | 14 | 21 | 7.33 |
| Stuart Broad (ENG) | 14 | 22 | 6.63 |
| Tim Southee (NZ) | 14 | 25 | 6.12 |
| Taskin Ahmed (BAN) | 13 | 19 | 5.97 |
| Josh Hazlewood (AUS) | 13 | 19 | 5.93 |
| Naveen-ul-Haq (AFG) | 13 | 14 | 6.04 |
Key Insights
Spinners generally don’t bowl much in the powerplay, but Samuel Badree has picked up the most wickets among tweakers. The former Caribbean leg spinner picked up 12 wickets in powerplay overs. Maheesh Theekshana is the other spinner with 10 or more wickets in the powerplay.
Ajantha Mendis has the lowest economy rate among the bowlers who have bowled 30 or more balls and picked up five or more wickets in the powerplay. The Sri Lankan spinner’s economy is just five in the powerplay phase.
