Rajasthan Royals spinner Ravi Bishnoi became the youngest Indian player to take 200 wickets in T20 cricket during his spell of 4/41 against the Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2026 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
It was also Bishnoi’s career best bowling figures in the Indian Premier League and his maiden four-fer in the tournament. His previous best was 3/24, recorded for the Punjab Kings, in a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Sharjah in 2021.
Against the Gujarat Titans, the 25-year-old leg-spinner needed two wickets to get to the landmark and struck at a crucial juncture.
With GT well-placed at 103/1 at the halfway mark in a chase of 211, Bishnoi turned the game on its head by dismissing the set Sai Sudharsan.
He followed it up immediately, removing Glenn Phillips with the first ball of his next over to bring up the milestone and derail GT’s chase.
Never miss an update on Rajasthan Royals - get the latest articles, news, and more by clicking here!
Bishnoi added the wickets of Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia to complete his fourth four-wicket haul in T20 cricket, finishing his spell in the 17th over with Gujarat Titans needing 30 from the final 18 deliveries.
But it was Tewatia’s wicket that stood out for the leggie after the batter edged a googly into keeper Dhruv Jurel’s hands.
At the time, Tewatia was just warming up – with GT needing 66 in 36 balls with five wickets in hand – having hit a four and a six off the first two balls from the over. The southpaw returned to the pavilion with just 12 runs off six deliveries.
“(Tewatia) is a player renowned for such situations,” Bishnoi explained. “If he would not have been dismissed then, the match could have gone either way.”
However, Bishnoi was quick to credit the Royals’ bowling in the death, where the Titans needed 15 off the last two overs with three wickets in hand and Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada connecting the ball well. The Royals eventually won the match by six runs in a nail-biting finish.
“The way Tushar (Deshpande) bowled, the way Jofra (Archer) bowled the 19th, it was a collective effort,” he said. “It is a young team and we hope to continue entertaining.”
At the age of 25 years and 211 days, Bishnoi joined an elite group of Indian bowlers to 200 T20 wickets.
Rashid Khan holds the record as the youngest to take 200 wickets in T20 cricket, achieving this milestone at 23 years and 119 days old.
Yuzvendra Chahal remains India’s leading wicket-taker in the T20 format with 386 wickets from 330 matches, while Bishnoi brought up his 200 in just 170 matches.
Bishnoi has also featured in 44 T20Is for India, picking up wickets at an impressive average of 19.51 while maintaining an economy of 7.40. He is also a former world No. 1 bowler in the ICC men’s T20I rankings.
In the IPL, Bishnoi has played 79 matches across seven seasons, accounting for 77 wickets at an average of 29.79 and an economy rate of 8.21.
“It was a difficult season last year (with Lucknow Super Giants),” Bishnoi reflected. “When I miss my length, I get hit. I was trying to work on my lengths and if anyone hits off those, then no problem. Mental, technical and physical … all together. I had to bowl a lot of balls to keep improving.
