Indian left-arm off-spinner Shree Charani continued her excellent run in 2026 by becoming the highest wicket-taker in a calendar year for India as she scalped her 36th wicket yesterday in the ACC Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final against Sri Lanka.
She overtook Poonam Yadav’s record for the most T20I wickets by an Indian woman in a yearCharani’s performance helped the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side beat Sri Lanka in an one-sided affair at the Dubai International Stadium.
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Sree Charani becomes number 1 W-T20I bowler in the middle of ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026
Charani has been one of India’s most reliable bowlers this yearThe left-arm spinner has been able to keep the runs down while also picking up wickets at important stagesHer consistency has made her an important part of India’s T20I side.
The 22-year-old had already created another record during the Asia CupShe became the fastest Indian bowler to 50 wickets in women’s T20Is, reaching the milestone in just 29 matchesShe went past Kuldeep Yadav’s previous Indian mark of 30 matches.
Charani completed the 50-wicket milestone in India’s semi-final against BangladeshShe dismissed opener Juairiya Ferdous and finished with 1/14 from her four overs as India won by 40 runs and booked their place in the final.
Against Sri Lanka yesterday, Sree Charani displayed her best performance as she registered a four-wicket haul, which also helped her complete 36 W-T20I wickets this yearShe took the crucial wickets of Harshitha Samarawickrama (9 off 14), Nilakshi de Silva (22 off 16), Kavisha Dilhari (7 off 5), Hasini Perera (1 off 3) and Sugandika Kumari (1 off 7).
Before the final, she had taken eight wickets in the tournament and bowled at an economy rate of just 3.28Deepti Sharma was the leading wicket-taker at that stage with 11 wickets.
India Win Eighth Women’s Asia Cup Title
Meanwhile, India lifted their eighth Women’s Asia Cup titleSri Lanka never looked close to chasing down 184 after losing wickets regularly in the second inningsCharani’s four-wicket spell played a major role in finishing the contest quicklyIndia also avenged their defeat to Sri Lanka in the 2024 final.
Shafali and Mandhana had done the damage with the bat before Charani and Deepti took control with the ballFor Charani, the final was another reminder of how important she has become to India’s T20I sideHer 35 wickets in 2026 now put her level with Poonam Yadav’s previous calendar-year record.
