Arshdeep Singh takes 38 T20I wickets in 2026, the most by an Indian in a calendar year

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had held the Indian mark for four years. His 37 wickets in 2022 came in 31 innings. Arshdeep has reached 38 in 26 innings, which means he has taken more wickets in fewer innings. That is about 1.46 wickets an innings against Bhuvneshwar's 1.19. In Christchurch he bowled four overs for 33 runs, an economy rate of 8.25, while Bhuvneshwar went for 50 from his four overs and Prince Yadav took 1 for 30. Bhuvneshwar now sits second on the Indian list.

The list has several other entries for Arshdeep himself. He took 36 wickets in 2024 and 33 in 2022, and his 36 in 2024 is level with the 36 that Varun Chakravarthy took in 2025, which puts the two of them joint third. Of the five best calendar years by an Indian bowler, Arshdeep therefore owns three.

Among all T20I bowlers, the benchmark that is often quoted is Ireland's Josh Little, who took 39 wickets in 2022. Some reports describe the list as covering full-member teams only, in which case Little would be outside it, so the comparison should be treated with care. One report says that Arshdeep has also equalled the Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga's tally of 38. Since the calendar year is not over, he is one wicket short of Little's figure.

The match in Christchurch

India chose to field, and New Zealand scored 180 for 5. Arshdeep struck early and again late. He had Tim Seifert caught by Tilak Varma in the first spell, and he removed Glenn Phillips, who was caught by Naman Dhir in the 18th over after making 70 off 43 balls. Phillips and Bevon Jacobs had put on 116 runs together and the second of the two wickets broke the stand that had carried New Zealand to a competitive total.

India then chased 181 with a ball to spare, with Tilak Varma making 51 not out off 26 balls and Nitish Kumar Reddy 26 not out. The win gave India a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. India had won the first T20I at the same ground on 22 October by chasing 226.

His 36 wickets in 2024 came in the year India won the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States, where he took 17 wickets and was joint highest wicket-taker of the tournament. Bhuvneshwar's 37 in 2022 came in a year that included a T20 World Cup in Australia.

The record comes in a year in which India has had a good run in the format. The side won the T20 World Cup earlier in 2026 and beat Pakistan by 19 runs in the final to win the men's T20 gold at the Asian Games this month. Arshdeep, a left-arm seamer who bowls with the new ball and at the end of the innings, has been one of the bowlers asked to do both jobs for the team.

The rise in his tally also reflects how much T20 cricket India plays. A bowler can add wickets quickly in a year with a World Cup, a continental championship and several bilateral series.

Three T20Is remain in the series against New Zealand, and Arshdeep will expect to play in some or all of them. With 38 wickets already, one more would equal Little's 39, and two would take him past the figure. How much more he can add will depend on the matches India play before the year ends and on whether the team's management rests him.

For India, the number is a sign of a bowling attack that has been built around Arshdeep for the new ball while the other seamers and spinners have rotated around him.