All-time top 5 (leading candidates)
| # | Player | Wickets (approx) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hasan Ali | 140 |
| 2 | Shaheen Afridi | 138 |
| 3 | Shadab Khan | 122 |
| 4 | Wahab Riaz | 111 |
| 5 | Faheem Ashraf | 104 |
Order as of Oct 2026, compiled from official PSL records.
The top 5, bowler by bowler
1. Hasan Ali (140) — The leader, and the PSL's original wicket machine. Hasan's tally spans the league's whole history — new-ball swing, middle-overs hustle, and a knack for the big wicket. The number everyone else is chasing.
2. Shaheen Afridi (138) — Two behind, and still at his peak. Shaheen's 138 have come with the new ball doing outrageous things — the inswinging yorker first up is the most feared delivery in the league. The race with Hasan is the PSL's best ongoing subplot: 140 vs 138, both active.
3. Shadab Khan (122) — The spinner in a quicks' club. Shadab's 122 wickets as a leg-spinning all-rounder — plus his batting — make him arguably the league's most complete cricketer. Captain, fielder, finisher, wicket-taker.
4. Wahab Riaz (111) — Raw pace and theatre. Wahab's 111 came with the fastest spells the league has seen and a highlight reel of yorkers. The veteran's tally is the benchmark every young quick grows up staring at.
5. Faheem Ashraf (104) — The quiet accumulator. Faheem's 104 wickets rarely make montages, but season after season he's there — hitting the deck, nipping it around, doing the unglamorous work that wins leagues.
The race at the top
| Hasan Ali | Shaheen Afridi | |
|---|---|---|
| Wickets | 140 | 138 |
| Gap | Leader | 2 behind |
| Status | Active | Active, at peak |
Two wickets. That's the margin at the top of the all-time charts, and both men are still playing. Every PSL season now comes with a side competition: does Shaheen pass Hasan? It's the kind of slow-burn record race that makes league cricket fun to follow year after year.
PSL 2026 bowling story
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Most wickets | Sufiyan Muqeem — 22 in 11 matches (avg 14.40, econ 7.20) |
| Player of the Tournament | Sufiyan Muqeem |
| Final heroics | Aaron Hardie — 4/27 in the final |
| Best in a PSL final (all-time) | Imad Wasim — 5/23 (2024 final) |
- Sufiyan Muqeem took 22 wickets — the season's standout and Player of the Tournament. Left-arm wrist spin, 14.40 average, 7.20 economy — the breakout bowling story of the year, and a Pakistan call-up made inevitable.
- Aaron Hardie's 4-27 in the final won Peshawar Zalmi the title.
- The season confirmed the PSL's identity: the league where bowlers still win tournaments.
Great PSL bowling spells
| Spell | Player | Match |
|---|---|---|
| 5/23 | Imad Wasim | 2024 final — still the best figures in a PSL final |
| 4/27 | Aaron Hardie | 2026 final — title-winning spell |
| 22-wicket season | Sufiyan Muqeem | PSL 2026 — Player of the Tournament |
The PSL spell I rate highest is Imad's 5/23 in the 2024 final — left-arm spin, biggest game of the season, and he just strangled them.
Muqeem's 2026 season might end up rated higher in time, though. Twenty-two wickets at 14.40 in a league this batting-heavy isn't a purple patch — it's a statement.
The chasing pack
Beyond the top five, the next tier is forming. Bowlers in the 70–90 wicket range — the reliable internationals and a couple of breakout youngsters — will decide whether the 100 club stays exclusive. The 2026 season showed how quickly it can happen: Sufiyan Muqeem's 22-wicket campaign was the kind of year that puts a bowler on the all-time trajectory in one go. If he backs it up, the top five won't stay a closed shop for long.
The batting side of the 2026 season: most runs in PSL 2026. How the season ended: who won PSL 2026.
