Top 5 bowlers with the most wickets across formats in 2025

The 2025 season was relentless for bowlers. With Tests, ODIs and T20Is packed into a crowded calendar, only those who combined durability, skill and clearly defined roles across formats managed to separate themselves from the rest. Here’s a closer look at the five bowlers with the most wickets across formats, and how they built those numbers over a long, demanding year.

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1. Jacob Duffy (New Zealand) - 81 wickets

Jacob Duffy finished 2025 as the most prolific wicket-taker across formats, a remarkable achievement for a bowler who does not rely on raw pace. Across 36 matches and 39 innings, Duffy’s success came from control and repeatability. His combined average of 17.11 and strike rate of 24.07 underline how often he struck without leaking runs.

Duffy was used smartly by New Zealand in all formats with new-ball spells in ODIs and T20Is, followed by short, high-intensity bursts in Tests. He swings the ball early, hits a hard back-of-a-length when conditions flatten out, and finishes innings with cutters and slower balls. The consistency of his methods meant wickets arrived regularly rather than in clusters, allowing him to dominate the overall charts.

2. Blessing Muzarabani (Zimbabwe) - 65 wickets

Blessing Muzarabani’s 2025 season was built on a heavy workload and a genuine threat. Playing 31 matches across formats, the tall Zimbabwe fast bowler claimed 65 wickets, including a best of 7/58. His height and steep bounce made him a constant problem, particularly for batters unfamiliar with that angle of release.

Muzarabani bowled close to 400 overs across formats, often carrying Zimbabwe’s attack almost single-handedly. While his average of 27.58 reflects the challenges of bowling long spells, his ability to strike regularly kept Zimbabwe competitive. The year confirmed him as one of the most reliable strike bowlers outside the traditional powerhouses.

3. Matt Henry (New Zealand) - 65 wickets

Level with Muzarabani on wickets, Matt Henry once again proved why he remains a mainstay of New Zealand’s white-ball plans while contributing effectively in Tests. Henry took his 65 wickets in just 27 matches.

Henry’s success was built on discipline. He rarely strays from a full length with the new ball and has refined his slower deliveries to remain effective at the death. His efficiency explains why he matched bowlers who played significantly more matches.

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4. Ali Dawood (Bahrain) - 63 wickets

Ali Dawood’s inclusion high on the list reflects just how productive he was in 2025. Across 37 matches, Dawood picked up 63 wickets at a remarkable average of 11.28 and a strike rate of just 12.36. Those numbers underline how frequently he struck whenever Bahrain had the ball in hand.

A left-arm seamer who thrives on movement and accuracy, Dawood consistently exposed lower-order batting line-ups and middle orders alike. While the level of opposition varied, his ability to dominate games and finish innings quickly made him one of the most impactful bowlers across formats this year.

5. Kuldeep Yadav (India) - 60 wickets

Kuldeep Yadav’s return to elite consistency was one of India’s biggest bowling positives in 2025. Across 25 matches, the left-arm wrist-spinner collected 60 wickets, mixing subtle flight with sharper turn and improved control. 

Kuldeep was particularly effective in ODIs and T20Is, where his variations forced batters into risky strokes. Even in Tests, his ability to break partnerships in the middle sessions proved vital. India used him as a wicket-taking option rather than a containing spinner, and the results showed across formats.

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