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Thursday, Dec 5, 2024

Most Wicket Takers in Asia Cup

13 ODIsAug 30 - Sep 17

The Asia Cup has been a happy hunting ground for Sri Lankan bowlers. The six-time champions had an incredible batting lineup throughout the 1990s and into the early 2010s, but it was perhaps their skill and wicket-taking ability with ball in hand that earned them the success in these years.


Four of the Asia Cup's 5 all-time leading wicket-takers in the ODI format hail from Sri Lanka. Muttiah Muralitharan is unsurprisingly the head of the list, with 30 wickets between 1995 and 2010. Right on his heels is Lasith Malinga, whose white-ball excellence in subcontinental conditions came through with 29 wickets, including three 5-wicket-hauls.


Third on the list is the original mystery spinner, Ajantha Mendis, whose numbers are phenomenal. He also possesses the best figures in any Asia Cup match, with the famous 6/13 destruction of India in 2008. He took 17 wickets in that tournament, which is also the most by any bowler in a single tournament at the Asia Cup, just ahead of Irfan Pathan's 14 in the tournament prior. Mendis ended his Asia Cup career with 26 wickets in just 8 matches, at a remarkable average just sitting above 10.


Saeed Ajmal is the first non-Lankan in the top wicket-takers list with 25 wickets for Pakistan in 12 matches, and he is followed up by Chaminda Vaas taking 23 wickets in 19. In the T20I tournaments, Bhuvneshwar Kumar leads the pack with 13 wickets across two editions. He also holds the best figures and the only five-for, conceding only 4 runs as he ran through the Afghanistan order in 2022.

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Asia Cup 2023: Leading Wicket Takers

PlayerTeamsWktsAvgOvrRunsBBFECSR3w5wMdns
1SL1124402704/32622301
2SL1017421795/40425012
3IND1012261226/21415114
4PAK1023412354/35524103
5IND911281035/25319112
6PAK913251204/19416201
7BAN919331724/44522202
8SL829452333/69533101
9BAN718291313/36424102
10PAK720281403/34424201
11IND61120683/3320103
12IND625351523/40435101
13PAK640412454/27541101
14IND521181073/65521100
15AFG523181184/60621100
SR: Strike Rate, Mat: Matches, Inn: Innings, NO: Not Out, HS: Highest Score, Avg: Average, RS: Run Scored, VS: Vs Team, BF: Ball faced, TS: Team Score, BBF: Best Bowling Figures, Wkts: Wickets, RG: Runs Given, Ovr: Overs, Mdns: Maidens, EC: Economy, T-SC: Team Score, Vnu: Venue.

Asia Cup Most Wickets FAQ

  • Who has picked up the most wickets in the Asia Cup?

    Legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka holds the record for the most Asia Cup wickets with 30 wickets from 24 matches

  • Who was the highest wicket-taker in Asia Cup 2022?

    India fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the leading wicket-taker in Asia Cup 2022 with 11 wickets.

  • Which bowler has taken the most 5-wicket hauls in Asia Cup history?

    Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka has the most 5-wicket hauls in Asia Cup history having taken five wickets in an innings three times – with a best of 5/34.

  • What is Virat Kohli's record in the Asia Cup?

    Virat Kohli has had reasonable success playing the Asia Cup having scored 613 runs from 11 ODIs at an average of 61.30.

  • How many times has Virat Kohli won the Asia Cup?

    Virat Kohli won the Asia Cup in 2010 and 2016. Although on both occasions, he lifted the trophy as a player with MS Dhoni captaining India in both editions.

  • What is the average of Virat Kohli in Asia Cup?

    Virat Kohli has an average of 61.30 in Asia Cup tournaments played in 50-over format.

  • What is Team India's squad for the Asia Cup 2023?

    India announced a 17-member squad for Asia Cup 2023 featuring the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya and the returning trio of KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah, all three of whom have recovered from their respective injuries. Sanju Samson has been picked as a back-up player while Yuzvendra Chahal was surprisingly ignored.

  • Who is the No 1 bowler in Asia Cup?

    Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka is the most successful bowler in Asia Cup with 30 wickets from 24 matches

  • Will Ravichandran Ashwin play the Asia Cup?

    India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has not played an ODI since January of 2022 and with him not likely to be part of the World Cup later this year, the off-spinner is expected to miss the Asia Cup 2023.

  • Which is the most successful team in the Asia Cup?

    India is the most successful team in Asia Cup having won the title 7 times - 1984, 1988, 1991, 1995, 2010, 2016, and 2018.

  • Which Indian captains have won the Asia Cup?

    Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma have won the Asia Cup as India captains.

  • Will Jasprit Bumrah be playing the Asia Cup 2023?

    India pacer Jasprit Bumrah has recovered from his back injury and is set to play the Asia Cup 2023 after missing the previous edition last year.

  • Will KL Rahul play in the Asia Cup 2023?

    KL Rahul is currently recovering from a hamstring injury that he sustained during the IPL 2023, and although the BCCI has recently given a positive update on the Indian batter, the chances of him playing the Asia Cup are less.

  • What is the fastest ball bowled by Jasprit Bumrah?

    The fastest ball bowled by Jasprit Bumrah was clocked at 153.36 kph in a Test match against Australia at Adelaide in 2018.

  • Will Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah feature in the Asia Cup?

    India quicks Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami are fit, and will spearhead the fast-bowling attack at the Asia Cup 2023

  • Why did Ravindra Jadeja miss Asia Cup 2022?

    India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was ruled out of the Asia Cup 2022 midway through the tournament due to a knee injury sustained while fielding against Hong Kong.

  • Who is the most successful fast bowler in the Asia Cup?

    Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka has grabbed the most wickets by a fast bowler in the Asia Cup with 29 wickets.