Top 5 bowlers with most wickets in a calendar year across all formats

#1 and #2 Muttiah Muralitharan (136 & 128 wickets) - 2001, 2006

The ultimate wicket-taker - Muttiah Muralitharan

Spin Wizard Muttiah Muralitharan holds both the first and second positions in this list which justify his standing as the most prolific wicket-taking bowler the game of cricket has ever seen. He is the biggest match winner to emerge from Sri Lanka and has single-handedly won them numerous contests across all formats of the game.

Muralitharan took 128 wickets in 2006 across all formats from 40 matches at an average of 20.99 including 9 five-wicket hauls which is the second highest wicket tally in a calendar year.

He took 136 wickets in 2001 across all formats from 45 matches at an average of 19.98 including 8 five-wicket hauls.

He finished his career as the leading wicket-taker in the world across all formats of the game. He has taken a whopping 1347 international wickets from 495 matches including 77 five-wicket hauls.