| Player | Team | Overs | Wkts | Runs | Mdns | Opposition | Ground | Match Date |
| Ajanta Mendis | Sri Lanka | 4 | 6 | 8 | 2 | Zimbabwe | Hambantota | 18 Sep 2012 |
| Rangana Herath | Sri Lanka | 3.3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | New Zealand | Chattogram | 31 Mar 2014 |
| Umar Gul | Pakistan | 3 | 5 | 6 | 0 | New Zealand | The Oval | 13 Jun 2009 |
| Sam Curran | England | 3.4 | 5 | 10 | 0 | Afghanistan | Perth | 22 Oct 2022 |
| Ahsan Malik | Netherlands | 4 | 5 | 19 | 0 | South Africa | Chattogram | 27 Mar 2014 |
| Adam Zampa | Australia | 4 | 5 | 19 | 0 | Bangladesh | Dubai(DSC) | 4 Nov 2021 |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Afghanistan | 4 | 5 | 20 | 0 | Scotland | Sharjah | 25 Oct 2021 |
| Mustafizur Rahman | Bangladesh | 4 | 5 | 22 | 0 | New Zealand | Kolkata | 26 Mar 2016 |
| James Faulkner | Australia | 4 | 5 | 27 | 0 | Pakistan | Mohali | 25 Mar 2016 |
| Lasith Malinga | Sri Lanka | 4 | 5 | 31 | 0 | England | Pallekele | 1 Oct 2012 |
The Sri Lankans dominate the top two spots in this list of “Best bowling figures in an innings in T20 World Cup history,” thanks to the majestic spin-bowling duo of Ajanta Mendis and Rangana Herath.
While Mendis worked his magic against a helpless Zimbabwe attack in 2012 (6/8 in four overs), left-arm orthodox Rangana Herath pulled off one the greatest heists in the tournament’s history as he racked up figures of 5/3 against New Zealand in 2014 to help Sri Lanka defend a sub-120 total— the only instance before and since.
Herath’s spell helped the island nation book a spot in the semi-final, and the Asian Lions eventually won the tournament by beating India in the summit clash.
Pakistan’s Umar Gul, who topped the bowling charts in the first couple of editions of the marquee event, is at the third spot, thanks to his barely believable figures of ⅚ against the Kiwis at the 2009 T20 WC. The former pacer was the first bowler to claim a five-for in the showpiece event’s history.
Former Netherlands pacer Ahsan Malik is at the fifth spot, courtesy of his figures of 5/19 against the Proteas in the 201 T20 World Cup. He is preceded by England’s Sam Curran who claimed 5/10 against Afghanistan in Perth in the previous edition.
Australian wrist-spinner Adam Zampa rounds off the top five, thanks to his match-winning figures of 5/19 against Bangladesh in the 2021 event. Zampa’s spell also included a hat-trick.
Sadly, no Indian bowler is in the top ten list.
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