Sunil Narine Becomes Second Bowler To Take 650 T20 Wickets | Who Is The First To Do It?

Sunil Narine has added another remarkable chapter to his extraordinary T20 career, becoming only the second bowler in the history of the format to take 650 wickets.

The Trinbago Knight Riders all-rounder reached the milestone during the Caribbean Premier League 2026 clash against Saint Lucia Kings at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, further strengthening his place among the most successful bowlers in franchise cricket.

Narine has built his reputation over more than a decade with his mystery spin, remarkable control and ability to adapt across leagues worldwide. However, one bowler remains ahead of him in the all-time T20 wicket-taking charts, Afghanistan's Rashid Khan.

Narine's 650th wicket puts him in exclusive company

Playing his 611th T20 match, Narine needed just one wicket to reach the landmark against Saint Lucia Kings. He got it in the final ball of the 12th over, trapping West Indies batter John Campbell lbw to become only the second player to enter the 650-wicket club.

Narine finished with figures of 1/27 from four overs, taking his overall tally to exactly 650 wickets. The achievement is another measure of his incredible longevity in a format where bowlers are constantly challenged by aggressive batting and ever-changing conditions.

The milestone adds to an already impressive T20 resume. Narine is the leading wicket-taker in CPL history with 137 wickets, while his IPL record is equally striking: he has taken 207 wickets for Kolkata Knight Riders, making him the first overseas player to cross 200 wickets in the competition.

Rashid Khan Was the First to Cross 650

Before Narine, Rashid Khan was the only bowler to reach 650 T20 wickets. The Afghanistan leg-spinner remains comfortably ahead at the top of the all-time list with 736 wickets from 547 matches, making him the only bowler so far to cross the 700-wicket mark in the format.

Most T20 Wickets

What makes the comparison particularly fascinating is the gap in matches. Rashid has reached 736 wickets in 547 appearances, while Narine required 611 matches to reach 650. Behind the two modern-day spin greats sits former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo with 631 wickets, followed by South Africa's Imran Tahir and Andre Russell.

With Narine now joining Rashid in the 650-wicket club, the two have opened up a significant gap at the top of T20 cricket's all-time wicket-taking charts and the table below shows just how far ahead they are.