West Indies seamer Romario Shepherd has taken an early lead in the race for the most wickets at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Following a sensational opening day that saw three high-intensity fixtures, Shepherd’s record-breaking hat-trick against Scotland has placed him at the summit of the bowling standings, ahead of the likes of Shadley van Schalkwyk, Salman Mirza, and Mohammed Siraj.  ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Points Table With Net Run-Rate (NRR).

The tournament is being hosted in India and Sri Lanka, where pitches historically offer significant assistance to both high-quality spin and deceptive pace. With the expansion to a 20-team format and more matches than ever before, the long-standing record for the most wickets (17) in a single edition—currently held jointly by Fazalhaq Farooqi and Arshdeep Singh—is under serious threat.

Most Wickets in T20 World Cup 2026

Rank Player Team Matches Wickets Best Figures Economy
1 Romario Shepherd West Indies 1 5 5/20 6.67
2 S. van Schalkwyk USA 1 4 4/25 6.25
3 Salman Ali Mirza Pakistan 1 3 3/24 6.26
4 Mohammed Siraj India 1 3 3/29 7.25
5 Jason Holder West Indies 1 3 3/30 7.83

Early signs in the 2026 tournament suggest that the Golden Ball for the most wickets will be a battle between established stars and rising talents.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 08, 2026 12:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).