T20 World Cup: Most Expensive Bowling Spells Ever
India’s win over the USA in their opening match of the 2026 T20 World Cup marked their 9th straight victory at the Men’s T20 World Cup. They won all 8 matches in the 2024 edition and have now extended the streak in 2026. It is the longest winning run by a team in the tournament’s history, bettering Australia’s 8 consecutive wins across 2022 and 2024, while South Africa won 8 on the trot until the final in 2024.
That match at the Wankhede Stadium also produced an unwanted record. USA left-arm seamer Saurabh Netravalkar returned the most expensive bowling figures ever seen in a T20 World Cup.
Here’s a look at the 5 costliest bowling spells in the history of the tournament. Interestingly, 3 of them came in the inaugural 2007 edition.
#5 Stuart Broad – 0/60 vs India, 2007 T20 World Cup
England pacer Stuart Broad conceded 60 runs in his 4 overs against India in Durban during the first-ever T20 World Cup in 2007.
The match is famously remembered for Yuvraj Singh’s 6 sixes in one over against Broad. The Englishman had respectable figures of 0/24 after his first 3 overs but everything changed in the 19th over.
India finished with 218/4. England replied with 200/6 and lost by 18 runs. Stuart Broad turned his career around after that spell becoming a red-ball great for England.
#4 Lameck Onyango – 0/61 vs Sri Lanka, 2007
Kenya fast bowler Lameck Onyango went for 61 runs in 4 overs against Sri Lanka in Johannesburg.
Sri Lanka piled up 260/6, the highest team total in T20 World Cup history. Onyango had figures of 0-32 after his 3 overs but then conceded 29 runs in his final over as Jehan Mubarak hit 4 sixes and a boundary.
Kenya were bowled out for 88 in 19.3 overs.
#3 Mashrafe Mortaza – 0/63 vs Pakistan, 2014
Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza went for 63 runs in 4 overs against Pakistan in the 2014 T20 World Cup.
Pakistan scored 190/5 and then restricted Bangladesh to 140/7, winning by 50 runs.
Mortaza conceded just 5 runs in his first over, 18 runs in his second over and 24 in the 19th over of the match where Ahmed Shehzad and Shahid Afridi punished him late in the innings with multiple boundaries.
#2 Sanath Jayasuriya – 0/64 vs Pakistan, 2007
Sri Lanka legend Sanath Jayasuriya held the unwanted record for close to 18 years. He conceded 64 runs in 4 overs against Pakistan in Johannesburg in 2007.
Pakistan posted 189/6 and defended it successfully. Jayasuriya conceded 14 runs in his first over and 12 in his second. He went for 20 runs in his third over and 18 in the final over, with Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq doing the damage hitting 2 sixes each in his last 2 overs.
#1 Saurabh Netravalkar – 0/65 vs India, 2026 T20 World Cup
USA seamer Saurabh Netravalkar now tops the list with 0/65 against India in the 2026 T20 World Cup.
He started well, conceding just 7 runs in his first over. Things changed quickly. Tilak Varma took 16 runs off his second hitting a six and 2 fours. Axar Patel and Suryakumar Yadav attacked him in the death overs. Suryakumar hit 2 sixes and 2 fours in the final over alone taking his overall tally ahead of any other bowler in T20 World Cup history.
Saurabh Netravalkar played for India in the 2010 U19 World Cup before moving to USA.
With the game of T20 cricket having evolved rapidly with the way batters have started scoring aggressively, it wouldn’t be surprising if Netravalkar’s figures are surpassed in this T20 World Cup itself.
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