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Varun Chakravarthy joins elite list: Most T20I wickets for India in a calendar year

Soumyajit Dutta

Bowlers who took the most wickets for India in a calendar year in T20Is [Source: @ImTanujSingh, @mufaddal_vohra/X]Bowlers who took the most wickets for India in a calendar year in T20Is [Source: @ImTanujSingh, @mufaddal_vohra/X]

India has produced a brilliant pack of bowlers over the years to back its strong and diverse arsenal of pace sensations and spin wizards. The most prominent names among them often take all the glory with their skills spraying heat on the field.

Nevertheless, 2025 has been a year for a mystery spinner who emerged quickly from the shadows to become a vital cog for the Men in Blue.

As in previous years, stat calendars saw pacers dominate to take up most wickets for India in a year. However, with his spin magic, Varun Chakravarthy registers his name as a spinner in this list for the first time after the India vs South Africa T20I series.

Let’s take a look at how he ranks among all of the bowlers who dominate the list of most wickets for India in a calendar year in T20Is.

4) Jasprit Bumrah - 28 wickets (2016)

Jasprit Bumrah took 28 wickets to become the highest wicket-taker in the year 2016 among Indian bowlers. Interestingly, it was his debut year for India in T20I as he wreaked havoc across the 21 matches he played.

From 79.3 overs, he managed to scalp 28 wickets at an average of 18.82 while striking at 17.0. Most of his wickets came against Australia, as he scalped seven wickets against them. Zimbabwe and the West Indies followed, with five wickets each for the teams hunted by the then-emerging premium fast bowler.

What astonishes and sets Jasprit Bumrah’s quality apart right from the start is that his away wickets that year were 13, compared to seven on home pitches and eight at neutral venues.

3) Varun Chakravarthy - 36 wickets (2025)

34-year-old Varun Chakaravarthy has a total tally of 55 wickets in T20I cricket, and 36 of them came this year, in 2025. Chakravarthy was outstanding with the ball, with an average of 13.19 and a strike rate of 11.1 while bowling at an economy rate of 7.08 from his 67 overs.

He played 20 matches this year and accounted for seven wickets in the Asia Cup 2025. Chakravarthy’s impact on the Indian team has been immense. With his mystery spin, he broke onto the scene after a successful stint with KKR back in 2024. Notably, because of his spin skills, he has dominated mostly at home, with 24 wickets in India and 12 on away and neutral soils.

2) Arshdeep Singh - 36 wickets (2024)

Arshdeep Singh, the left-arm pace sensation for India, appears second on this list with his 36 wickets tally, all in the year 2024. Arshdeep bowled at an average of 13.50 while striking at 10.80 from his 18 matches. He was most successful against South Africa, with a 10-wicket haul against the team.

His away record of 16 wickets surpassed his home and neutral venue tally. He also had the lowest average in away games, further underscoring his dominance on foreign soils. Notably, he was also one of the match-winners for India that year in the Men’s T20 World Cup, where he bagged 17 wickets from his eight matches in the tournament while striking at 10.5.

1) Bhuvneshwar Kumar - 37 wickets (2022)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the underrated swing king of India, tops the list with 37 wickets to his name in 2022. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, aka Bhuvi, was phenomenal that year, which also ironically turned out to be his last year playing T20I games for India. 

He bowled at an average of 19.56 while maintaining an economy rate of 6.98. He struck at 16.8 from his 103.4 overs, with his most successful bouts coming against Pakistan and South Africa.

He was more successful at neutral venues with a superb tally of 15 wickets, while his home and away credentials also saw 12 and 10 wickets respectively. He played in the Men’s T20 Asia Cup and World Cup that year, where he was successful in the former by every means.

He took 11 wickets from his five matches, announcing his impact with the ball. However, in the T20 World Cup, he was a bit underperforming, grabbing only four wickets from his six outings.