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August 27, 2026
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Abhinav Ennazhiyil

Sunil Narine becomes second bowler in T20 history to reach 650 wickets

Sunil Narine added another landmark to an already extraordinary T20 career on Thursday, becoming only the second bowler in the history of the format to reach 650 wickets. The Trinbago Knight Riders spinner achieved the feat during their Caribbean Premier League 2026 clash against Saint Lucia Kings at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba.

Sunil Narine celebrates a wicket in CPL 2026

Playing his 611th T20 match, Narine needed just one wicket to enter the exclusive club and duly delivered, finishing with figures of 1/27 from his four overs. The milestone wicket arrived in the sixth ball of the 12th over of Saint Lucia Kings' innings, when Narine trapped West Indies batter John Campbell lbw to take his career tally to 650.

Rashid Khan the only other member

Only Afghanistan's Rashid Khan had previously reached the mark, with an imposing 736 wickets from 547 T20 matches. Rashid is set to travel to India next month for a three-match T20I series in New Delhi against the three-time T20 World Cup winners.

Narine and Rashid have established a significant gap over the next names on the all-time list. Dwayne Bravo sits third with 631 wickets, followed by Imran Tahir on 582.

CPL and IPL dominance

The latest milestone adds to Narine's remarkable record in the CPL, where he is the competition's leading wicket-taker with 137 dismissals, two ahead of Tahir's 135. His numbers in the IPL are equally impressive: since debuting for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012, he has represented the franchise in 202 matches and taken 207 wickets.

Narine is the only overseas player in IPL history to cross 200 wickets and also holds the record for the most wickets by a player for a single team in the competition.

What makes Narine's longevity even more striking is his economy rate. At a time when 200-plus totals have become increasingly common in the IPL, the mystery spinner has continued to keep scoring under control, maintaining an economy rate of 6.79 throughout his IPL seasons. In IPL 2026 he took 15 wickets at an outstanding economy of 6.65.

Narine's impact has also extended beyond his bowling. The all-rounder has scored 4,881 runs in 390 T20 innings, underlining his value as one of the format's most versatile players. With 650 wickets now to his name, he has further strengthened his claim as one of the greatest T20 players of all time.

Sources: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/news/sunil-narine-makes-t20-history-joins-rashid-khan-in-elite-t20-wicket-club/articleshow/133554436.cms