Stats Analysis: Rashid Khan, T20 King in Every Phase and Every League
Rashid Khan: A Rapid Rise to the Top
Rashid Khan has gone from a promising talent to one of the most dominant figures in T20 cricket, having recently surpassed Dwayne Bravo to become the leading wicket-taker in T20 history. Bravo, who retired from professional cricket in 2024 with 631 wickets, held the record for nearly eight years. Rashid overtook this tally when he dismissed Dunith Wellalage of Paarl Royals in the SA20 Qualifier 1 on Tuesday, reaching the milestone after just ten matches in the third season of SA20.
Rashid’s Career Timeline and Achievements
Rashid’s rise to the top has been rapid. When he made his T20 debut in 2015, Lasith Malinga was the leading wicket-taker in the format, and Bravo took over the mantle in 2016. Rashid, at just 26, has more time to add to his record, potentially holding it for much longer than Bravo, who only took 17 wickets in his last 26 matches before retiring.
What makes Rashid’s achievement even more remarkable is the rarity of spinners holding the top spot in T20 cricket. Previously, only two spinners—Jason Brown and Nayan Doshi—had achieved the feat. However, both had relatively short stints at the top. Rashid, on the other hand, has dominated with consistent performances since 2017.
Rashid’s Impressive Rise
By the end of 2016, Rashid had just 38 wickets and was not even in the top 500 wicket-takers. However, after his IPL debut in 2017, Rashid became a highly sought-after player in T20 cricket. By 2019, he was ranked 11th among T20 wicket-takers and reached second place behind Bravo by 2022. His rise was fueled by consistent performances, including eight consecutive years (2017-2024) of taking over 50 wickets in T20 cricket—a feat no other player has achieved for more than five years.
Rashid’s Dominance Across Phases
Rashid’s stats across different phases of the game reveal his excellence. In the powerplay, while he has an average of 25.57 and an economy rate of 6.94, his numbers at the death are unmatched. He boasts an economy rate of 7.92 at the death (overs 17-20), the second-best among the 67 players who have bowled more than 800 balls in this phase. With 124 wickets in the death overs, Rashid has the best average (14.57) among these bowlers.
In the middle overs (overs 7-16), Rashid is even more dominant. With 436 wickets in this phase, he has taken about 80 more wickets than the next-best bowler, Imran Tahir (355). His average of 18.25 in the middle overs is the fourth-best among bowlers with over 100 wickets in this phase, and his economy rate of 6.18 ranks third.
Success in Every League
Rashid has been highly successful in every T20 league he’s participated in. In the IPL, he has claimed 149 wickets, ranking 12th in the league’s history. Despite the increasing run rates, he has managed to maintain an impressive economy rate of 6.82 in the IPL, which places him just behind Sunil Narine.
Rashid has also made his mark in the Big Bash League (BBL), where he is the leading overseas wicket-taker with 98 wickets. His success extends to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), where he has 29 wickets, and the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he has 44 wickets, all while maintaining low economy rates.
With 410 wickets from 310 matches across various T20 franchise leagues, Rashid is only behind Bravo (493 wickets) and Narine (460 wickets) in terms of career T20 wickets, although both of them have played over 400 matches.
T20 International Success
Rashid’s success is not limited to franchise leagues; he is also the second-highest wicket-taker in T20 Internationals, with 161 wickets, just three behind Tim Southee. He has 37 wickets in men’s T20 World Cups, ranking among the tournament’s top five.
Dominance Over Top Batters
Rashid has consistently kept top batters in check in T20 leagues. Among the 120 batters who have faced at least 24 balls from him or been dismissed twice, 80 have an average below 20 or strike at less than a run a ball against him. This shows just how difficult it is for batters to score quickly against him while preserving their wicket.
Against batters with 8000-plus career T20 runs, Rashid has taken 92 wickets. Only Sunil Narine (95) and Dwayne Bravo (94) have claimed more wickets against these batters.
Other Key Stats
- 4 – Rashid has four hat-tricks in T20 cricket, the most by any bowler, one each in the CPL, BBL, IPL, and a T20I for Afghanistan.
- 209 – Rashid has taken 209 wickets through bowled deliveries, the most for any bowler in T20 cricket.
- 136 – He has 136 wickets through lbws, also the most in T20 history.
- 20 – Rashid has taken four wickets or more in a match 20 times in T20 cricket, four more than any other bowler.
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