For years, Tim Southee sat at the top of New Zealand’s T20I wicket charts.
164 wickets. 126 matches. A record that looked like it might hold for a long time.
Then Ish Sodhi came for it.
The leg-spinner closed the gap match by match, and on 2 May 2025 in Dhaka, one wicket against Bangladesh made the most wickets for New Zealand in T20Is his.
Southee’s record had stood. Now it belongs to Sodhi.
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Most Wickets for New Zealand in T20Is
Here’s how the full top five looks today.
Most Wickets for New Zealand in T20Is: Updated Top 5
5. Lockie Ferguson — 76 Wickets
Matches: 54 | Wickets: 76 | Economy: 7.33 | Strike Rate: 14.59 | Best: 5/21
Ferguson sits fifth by total wickets, but no one on this list takes them faster. His strike rate of 14.59 means a wicket every 14 to 15 deliveries. His economy of 7.33 is the tightest of the five.
Those two numbers together make a strong case. He is not just a wicket-taker; he does it without leaking runs.
His 5/21 against the West Indies in Auckland in November 2020 is the standout. He has also appeared in the IPL, debuting for Punjab Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2026.
At 54 matches, he has played far fewer T20Is than the others here. If his career continues, that wicket tally will move.
4. Trent Boult — 83 Wickets
Matches: 61 | Wickets: 83 | Economy: 7.68 | Average: 21.43 | Best: 4/13
Boult made his T20I debut in February 2013 and ended with 83 wickets at an average of 21.43, the best average on this list.
He played just 61 matches, fewer than anyone here, but his returns per game hold up against any of the others.
His two four-wicket hauls include a 4/13 against Sri Lanka at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Sydney.
He dismantled Sri Lanka’s top order in the powerplay, the phase where he was always most dangerous. It was the kind of spell that wins tournaments.
Boult used swing. New Zealand conditions suit that approach, and he made the most of them throughout his career.
3. Mitchell Santner — 142 Wickets
Matches: 138 | Wickets: 142 | Economy: 7.17 | Strike Rate: 19.9 | Best: 4/11
Santner’s economy of 7.17 is the best on this list. For a spinner taking wickets in the shortest format, that’s a difficult combination to maintain across 138 matches.
He has 142 wickets and has been a consistent performer in the middle overs for New Zealand, where spinners are asked to slow things down and take wickets at the same time. He usually managed both.
His 4/11 against India in Nagpur at the 2016 T20 World Cup is the highlight.
He took the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, and Hardik Pandya as New Zealand produced a big upset.
It was arguably the best bowling performance by any New Zealand spinner in a T20 World Cup.
A shoulder injury during IPL 2026 with the Mumbai Indians has kept him out of cricket since.
2. Tim Southee — 164 Wickets
Matches: 126 | Wickets: 164 | Economy: 8.00 | Strike Rate: 16.7 | Best: 5/18
Southee held the New Zealand T20I wicket record until May 2025.
He had owned it for years and built it steadily across 126 matches, two decades of international cricket, and more than a few formats along the way.
His economy of 8.00 cost him at times, but his strike rate of 16.7 kept him in teams.
He took wickets when the game needed them, and he did it consistently enough to reach 164 in the shortest format alone.
His best figures, 5/18 against Pakistan in Auckland in December 2010, came 15 years before he finally lost the record.
He also captained the Test side from 2022 when Kane Williamson stepped down, and retired from Test cricket in December 2024.
One wicket separated him from the record at the end. That says a lot about how tight the race was.
1. Ish Sodhi — 165 Wickets
Matches: 141 | Wickets: 165 | Economy: 8.16 | Strike Rate: 16.92 | 4-Wicket Hauls: 4
Sodhi passed Southee in the third T20I against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on 2 May 2025.
The wicket of Shamim Hossain was his 165th. New Zealand won the match via DLS, chasing 103. Sodhi’s contribution: 1/22 from three overs.
The match itself was quiet. The record was not.
From 141 T20I matches and 465.2 overs bowled, Sodhi has built a career out of making leg-spin work in a format that punishes it.
His four four-wicket hauls are the most by any New Zealand bowler in T20Is.
His economy of 8.16 is the highest on this list, but that is the nature of the craft. Leg-spinners go for runs sometimes. The good ones take wickets in return.
Sodhi has been a good one for a long time. The record proves it.
Career Stats: All Five Compared
| Rank | Player | Matches | Wickets | Economy | Strike Rate | Best |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ish Sodhi | 141 | 165 | 8.16 | 16.92 | — |
| 2 | Tim Southee | 126 | 164 | 8.00 | 16.70 | 5/18 |
| 3 | Mitchell Santner | 138 | 142 | 7.17 | 19.90 | 4/11 |
| 4 | Trent Boult | 61 | 83 | 7.68 | — | 4/13 |
| 5 | Lockie Ferguson | 54 | 76 | 7.33 | 14.59 | 5/21 |
The Bigger Picture
Two things stand out when you look at this list as a whole.
- Longevity beats peak form here. Boult and Ferguson have better per-game returns than Sodhi and Southee. But they played fewer matches. Sodhi and Southee reached the top by staying available, staying effective, and grinding across long careers.
- The spinners outlasted the seamers. Sodhi (141 matches) and Santner (138) have both played more T20Is than Boult (61) or Ferguson (54). Spin tends to age better in the format. Both New Zealand spinners have proved that.
If Santner returns to fitness and Ferguson keeps playing, this list could look different in a few years. But for now, Sodhi is the leader, and the gap between first and fifth is 89 wickets.
FAQs
- Who has the most wickets for New Zealand in T20Is right now?
Ish Sodhi, has 165 wickets from 141 matches as of May 2025. He claimed the record from Tim Southee during New Zealand’s T20I series in Bangladesh.
- What was Tim Southee’s T20I wicket record before Sodhi overtook him?
Southee held the record with 164 wickets from 126 matches. Sodhi passed him by a single wicket in Dhaka on 2 May 2025.
- Who has the best economy rate among New Zealand’s top T20I wicket-takers?
Mitchell Santner, with 7.17 across 138 T20I matches. Lockie Ferguson is second with 7.33.
- What is Ish Sodhi’s best T20I bowling performance?
Sodhi has four four-wicket hauls in T20Is, the most by any New Zealand bowler. His economy is 8.16 and strike rate 16.92 across his career.
- Can Lockie Ferguson climb higher on this list?
Possibly. He has 76 wickets from just 54 matches, the best per-game return of the five. If he remains available and injury-free, he has time to move up the rankings.
- What is Trent Boult’s best T20I spell?
His 4/13 against Sri Lanka at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Sydney. It came in the powerplay and set up a comfortable New Zealand win.
Conclusion:
The most wickets for New Zealand in T20Is now belong to Ish Sodhi, with 165 from 141 matches.
The record was close for a long time. Southee had held it across a long career, and it took Sodhi until May 2025 to finally move clear.
Behind them, Santner, Boult, and Ferguson each built records worth recognising.
Together, the five of them cover the full range of what New Zealand’s bowling attack has looked like across 20 years of T20I cricket.
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