It feels harder to rank bowlers than it does batters. Part of that is because batting is slightly more objective – the best players score runs, and they do it consistently. Bowling in T20 cricket is far more volatile. Even the very best bowlers in the world can go around the park on any given night.
You can bowl the perfect yorker and see it squeezed down to third man for four, then follow it up with a full toss that ends up in the hands of long on. With that in mind, ranking T20 bowlers is less about perfect figures and more about impact. Who puts fear into batting line-ups? Who are you counting down their four overs, simply trying to limit the damage before targeting someone else?
You will notice that almost all the players on this list have one of two traits: out and out pace, or the ability to turn the ball both ways. In a modern game where even mishits can clear the ropes, those qualities remain the trump cards for a bowler.
Before we get into the Top 10 T20 bowlers in the world, we’ll highlight a couple of honourable mentions who narrowly missed out.
Honourable Mentions
Sunil Narine
Narine would be top three for the majority of the last 15 years. It’s not that he’s dropped off, but he hasn’t played an international game since 2019, so he just misses out.
Jacob Duffy
Duffy is perhaps the biggest riser from any bowler in consideration, coming off a phenomenal 2025. If he can sustain this level, a place on this list won’t be far away.
Arshdeep Singh
Probably the standout left arm seamer in T20 cricket right now. He just needs to add something more to his game to make it onto the list.
Pat Cummins
Undoubtably one of the top bowlers in the world. But being an all-format player, we don’t see too much of Cummins in T20 cricket outside of major tournaments.
And now to the Top 10…
10. Matheesa Pathirana
It came as a surprise to many when Kolkata Knight Riders made Pathirana the second highest buy at this year’s IPL auction, spending 18 crores on the young Sri Lankan. KKR have shown a willingness to spend big on overseas fast bowlers, breaking the bank on Pat Cummins in 2020 and Mitchell Starc in 2024.
There is a level of projection in Pathirana, both by KKR and by placing him in the top 10 on this list. His stats haven’t been anything to write home about over the past year. But at just 23, his slingy action makes him one of the most unique bowlers in the game right now. The comparisons to Lasith Malinga are inevitable, but Pathirana can touch 150kmph, has good variation and one of the harder yorkers to get away. I just think that his traits are so unique, at such a young age, that he’s worth betting on.
9. Nathan Ellis
Ellis’ rapid rise from club cricketer to Australian international in just two years is almost unheard of. Since his breakout Big Bash campaign in 2020, he has been a consistently dependable option for every team he has represented. In 2023, he was the leading T20 wicket taker across the calendar year, beating out Rashid Khan, and has since risen to eighth in the world rankings.
Ellis’ superstrength is his change of pace. His action is extremely whippy, making his back of the hand slower ball difficult for batters to pick up until its too late. Combined with his ability to nail yorkers consistently at the death, Ellis has developed into one of the most reliable finishers of an innings in T20 cricket. While he may not provide the eye-catching, high-octane spells that others on this list will, there aren’t many bowlers you would rather have in hand at the death during a tight run chase.
8. Adam Milne
Adam Milne has largely flown under the radar, despite an international career that now spans 15 years and counting. Injuries have interrupted his progress at various points, but whenever Milne is on the field – he’s bowling absolute rockets.
He has expressed pace to go with the ability to swing the white ball early and has added enough variation to his game to remain effective beyond the powerplay. To me, he is a true spearhead of an attack. He has shown his class in the franchise game in recent years, being the standout pacer in the Hundred since its inception in 2021 and recently taking 11 wickets in just 9 matches in the SA20 at an economy of 7.62. At international level, he’s taken 18 wickets in his last 11 T20I’s, and has not gone wicketless in any of them. Milne has always bowled fast, but in the last few seasons, he’s found the consistency that make him one of the premier seamers in the T20 game right now. It’s a huge blow for the Blackcaps that a hamstring injury will cause him to miss the World Cup.
7. Jofra Archer
There are similarities between Archer and Milne – raw pace, role and unfortunately the inability to stay fit. Since his England debut in 2019, Archer has endured a number of setbacks, with long term back and elbow issues sidelining him for extended periods. Encouragingly, Archer has played 20 T20I’s in the last two years, and England will hope they can get him through the World Cup fit and firing.
At his best, Archer is as good as anyone in the world. There is a reason why teams continue to invest heavily in him, with Rajasthan Royals splashing 12.50 crore on the 2020 IPL MVP. He is a genuine trump card for any captain. Often given the new ball before being brought back when a wicket is needed through the middle. England will be relying heavily on Archer to be at his devastating best in the World Cup, with the need for him and Rashid to do the heavy lifting in a bowling attack that otherwise lacks game breaking ability.
6. Adam Zampa
After four consecutive fast bowlers, we now get into the elite spinners of the world. Zampa has established himself into Australia’s premier white ball spinner, second to only Shane Warne in the limited overs formats. Not a huge turner of the ball compared to the great man, Zampa’s strength lies more so in his cricket smarts. It’s his understanding of when to make subtle adjustments in his pace and trajectory, along with high level consistency make him so hard to line up.
It’s a shame that we haven’t had the chance to see more of Zampa in the IPL, with injuries and personal reasons keeping him out of the tournament in recent years, as he could definitely be a frontline option for any team. Part of it is also due to the volume of domestic spinners that India is consistently producing, causing teams to often spend their overseas slots on star fast bowlers or big hitting batsmen. Zampa took five wickets at an economy of 6.26 when the World Cup was last held in India in 2016. As Australia head into another World Cup campaign, Zampa remains the bowler they will look to for control and breakthroughs through the middle overs of the innings.
5. Adil Rashid
There are elements of copy and paste as we go from Zampa to Rashid. Both have been indispensable for their country for the last decade, with Eoin Morgan often describing Rashid as the most ‘irreplaceable’ piece of England’s white ball setup. Like Zampa, Rashid has never been given a huge run in the IPL, despite being one of the most impactful bowlers in the international game. I’ve got Rashid a hair ahead of Zampa, with his ability to turn the ball sharply both ways making him a more threatening wicket taking bowler in my eyes – although the gap between the two is minimal.
Now 37, Rashid has shown no signs of slowing down. If anything, his experience has made him a smarter and more complete bowler. England may be planning for life after him – with a close eye on young spinners such as Rehan Ahmed and Jafar Chohan – but for now, Rashid remains the first name on the team sheet and a central figure in their World Cup ambitions.
4. Kagiso Rabada
Rabada has to be one of the most aesthetic fast bowlers in world cricket. His smooth action and effortless pace would have slotted seamlessly into some of the great West Indian attacks of the past. Since bursting onto the scene as a 20-year-old, Rabada has felt like a world class seamer almost from day one – it isn’t that far from the truth either. He has led the South African attack across all three formats for the better part of a decade and has consistently been a top tier IPL pickup for multiple teams.
It doesn’t feel like Rabada has too much variation in his arsenal. The off cutter is his main change up, but beyond that, he simply bowls fast, hits good areas and generates steep bounce that make him extremely difficult to face. That simplicity is almost a compliment to his quality. He doesn’t need to overcomplicate things, and he remains effective at the death, nailing the yorker line as well as anyone in the game outside of the number one on this list.
3. Rashid Khan
There was a time when ranking Rashid Khan anywhere but number one would’ve been borderline blasphemous. Bursting onto the scene as a 17-year-old, he quickly became the most unplayable bowler on the planet. A new breed of spinner, he fires the ball through at close to 60mph, with arm speed that gives the batsmen almost no time to pick his variation, let alone react to it. His googly probably turns more than the regulation leg spinner, and from 2017-2023, he was the closest thing to a T20 cheat code as you could get. Even the best players in the world were in total survival mode against him. Getting through his 24 balls without losing multiple wickets was a success.
Over the past couple of seasons, batters have begun to work him out. His numbers have dipped from the absurd levels he was operating it. Across his first six IPL seasons, Rashid never conceded more than 6.50 runs per over; in the last three, his economy has climbed beyond nine. That being said, Rashid Khan is still a T20 superstar and genuine match winner. He may not feel quite as untouchable as he once did, but he is still the bowler many batters fear the most.
2. Varun Chakravarthy
Originally choosing instead to focus on a career in architecture, Chakravarthy didn’t play professional cricket until he was 26. He has more than made up for lost time though, now sitting as the number one T20 bowler in the world. To me, stylistically, he falls somewhere between Sunil Narine and Rashid Khan. Like Narine, he has a wide array of variations that are difficult to put a label on, but he bowls flatter and slightly quicker. Chakravarthy is consistently attacking the stumps from a good length, very rarely giving batters any width to free their hands.
No one has really ‘figured out’ Chakravarthy. Even as he’s transitioned to the international stage, he is very rarely taken apart. It feels like every time he bowls, he comes away with figures of 2-25 or so from his four overs. In 38 T20Is, he has taken 55 wickets at an economy of just over 7. He is set to star in his upcoming home World Cup and will have a point to prove after going wicketless in his only previous tournament in 2021.
1. Jasprit Bumrah
In my opinion, and echoed by many who have faced him, Bumrah is the hardest fast bowler to face in the history of the game. He has everything. His action is unique and awkward, yet it allows him to create uncomfortable angles for batters, challenging them in ways no one else can. Bumrah can swing the ball at over 90mph, and at the death, possesses the best slower ball and the best yorker in world cricket. He is effective in every phase of an innings, whether its striking in the powerplay or closing a game under extreme pressure.
He has led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles, finishing as their leading wicket taker in three of them. In 82 T20’s for his country, he has 106 wickets at just over a run a ball. At his best, Bumrah remains the gold standard. He is the best fast bowler T20 cricket has ever seen. If India are going to lift a third World Cup, there’s a strong chance Bumrah will be walking away with individual honours of his own.