Now, there has been a lot of controversy and discussions about Ashwin's place on the Indian team. It all started with the ICC Test World Cup 2023, where he was benched by the team management. And now he has been dropped from the upcoming Asia Cup 2023.

Ashwin's omission from the Indian team isn't something new. While one of the most prolific spinners the Indian team has ever seen, Ashwin has been repeatedly ignored in crucial matches - like the World Cup finals, even when he was on the squad. Team India often felt they missed out on the all-rounder's abilities after the match - which resulted in defeats.

For the Asia Cup 2023 though, Ashwin couldn't earn himself a call to the squad line-up.

Top Reactions for Ashwin's Omission from the Asia Cup 2023

Former Indian pacer Karsan Ghavri, in support of this genius all-rounder, questioned the Indian team selectors. Even you can support your favourite player, or sport and bet on them from the Betway app.

Although Ghavri supported the selected 17-man squad for Asia Cup 2023, he didn't like the idea of Ajit Agarkar leading the selection committee of dropping Ravichandran Ashwin from the squad especially when he has been doing exceptionally well for the past few years.

Furthermore, besides Ghavri, former Indian cricketer Madan Lal is also confused with the team selection. The main concern is dropping both Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal. Instead, the committee decided to support the left-handed wrist spinner, Kuldeep Yadav. It is surprising for the former cricketers, that in spite of having great performances over the few months, and huge experience, these people couldn't make it to Asia Cup 2023.

Read Also: ICC World Cup 2023: Full squad of every team

In support of the current selected squad, Indian captain Rohit Sharma, said, Yuzvendra Chahal couldn't make it to the squad due to this lack of batting capability. Since they are looking for depth in their batting lineup, they decided to go with all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.

Karsan Ghavri Believes Ashwin Needs More Chances

However, Ghavri didn't find this pleasing enough. He strongly believes that Ashwin, despite being the senior player both in terms of experience and performance, does not get the proper treatment.

For a fact, Ashwin is only second to Anil Kumble (953) in terms of the highest number of international wickets for India, and has taken over 712 international wickets. Furthermore, the veteran cricketer is quite convenient with the bat. He was even a last-minute addition to India's T20 World Cup last year. Therefore, Ghavri believes that Ashwin is a valuable asset for the upcoming ICC World Cup, which is going to be held in India.

Ghavri on Yashasvi Jaiswal over Tilak Verma

He is also not happy with the selection of Tilka Verma, while Yashasvi Jaiswal is dropped. He believes Jaiswal should have been selected for the Asia Cup 2023, given his performance. Even though he wishes good luck to Tikal Verma at some level he thinks Jaiswal should have been selected in big tournaments like the Asia Cup, which will eventually help the selectors to choose India's World Cup squad.

As the ICC World Test Championship 2023-2025 is getting closer to the grand final, it is now time to look back at the bowlers with standout performances. They have constantly troubled batsmen which led to their team's success.

Who do you think are the ones with most wickets? Take a look at the highest wicket-takers in WTC 2023-25.

Jasprit Bumrah | India

Jasprit Bumrah had a remarkable campaign in WTC 2023-25 cycle and has taken the most number of wickets. He took 77 wickets in 15 matches, with an average of 15.09. 

Bumrah recorded five 5-wicket hauls in the cycle and also had his best bowling figure of 6/45 in an innings against England.

Read Also: Jasprit Bumrah becomes first-ever player to pick 200 Test wickets with an average below 20

Jasprit Bumrah stats in WTC 2023-2025

Pat Cummins | Australia 

The Australian skipper, Pat Cummins, has done wonders with the ball, by taking 73 wickets in 17 matches. He is the leading wicket taker for Australia and can also be on top by showcasing his wicket-taking skills in the WTC final against South Africa. 

His best bowling performance in the tournament was a 6-wicket haul for 91 runs.

Pat Cummins stats in WTC 2023-2025

Read Also: WTC Final: Australia and South Africa announce their squads

Mitchell Starc | Australia 

Yet another Australian legend to feature in this list, who is just behind Cummins by one wicket. This fiery left-arm pacer have always been a key bowling of their team. He took 72 wickets in 18 matches total.

Mitchell Starc's best bowling figure in WTC 2023-25 includes a 6-wicket haul for 48 runs.

Mitchell Starc stats in WTC 2023-2025

Other players with 60+ wickets in WTC 2023-25

Seems like the Aussies and Indians have purely dominated the bowling sides and got most wickets up their sleeves.

Read Also: Fav four in Test cricket: Kohli vs Root vs Williamson vs Smith stats in Tests

Here are the other players who crossed the 60 wickets mark and deserves a shoutout in the list of highest wicket-takers in WTC 2023-25.

After the Champions Trophy 2025, India's target in ODI cricket will be the ODI World Cup 2027. In such a situation, know what is Team India's ODI schedule till the World Cup 2027. The Men in Blue have to play a total of 9 series in the next ICC ODI tournament, which includes 27 matches.

Apart from this, some more ODI matches can be scheduled near the tournament. So, know what is the ODI schedule of Indian Cricket Team till 2027 and when India will face which team.

Also Read: The Kohli Effect: Will Indian fans lose interest in Test cricket after Virat Kohli's retirement?

The ODI World Cup2027 will be held around October to December. Before this, the Indian team is going to play a lot of matches. India have to play 3-match ODI series against 8 teams. They will play series twice against one country.

India will play New Zealand twice

India will play Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, West Indies and Sri Lanka once each in the upcoming ODI series, while it will play New Zealand twice. Out of the nine series, India will play six series at home, while the rest will be held outside the country.

It will start with the tour of Bangladesh in August, which will be played this year. In October-November 2025, India has to play a three-match ODI series on its tour of Australia. South Africa's team will tour India in November-December.

India will host Sri Lankan team in December 2026

In January 2026, the New Zealand team will play an ODI series in India. After this, India has to play a three-match series against Afghanistan in June. In July 2026, Team India will have to play the same number of ODI series on its tour of England.

The West Indies team is scheduled to tour India in September-October. There will be an ODI series against New Zealand at home in October-November. India will host the Sri Lankan team for an ODI series in December 2026.

Also Read: Fav four in Test cricket: Kohli vs Root vs Williamson vs Smith stats in Tests

India's ODI schedule till World Cup 2027

Due to the increasing conflict between India and Pakistan, BCCI has postponed the IPL 2025 for a week. BCCI gave this information on Friday. The board said that it has taken this decision keeping in mind the concerns of the players and the sentiments of the fans. The new schedule of IPL will be released depending on the situation.

At the same time, according to media reports, all foreign players have been asked to return to their country. Meanwhile, Cricket Australia and South Africa Cricket Board have expressed concern over their players. There are still 12 league matches and 4 playoff matches left in IPL 2025. The final of the tournament was to be held on 25 May.

Also Read: India-Pakistan War: How Indian athletes reacted to it

It is believed that India's tour of Bangladesh in August will be cancelled. The Asia Cup to be held in September will also be postponed. The remaining matches of IPL can be held in India in their place.

It is difficult for BCCI to bring back foreign players

The biggest challenge for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in resuming the IPL in May is to bring back foreign players. As soon as the IPL was announced to be postponed for a week, most of the foreign players returned to their respective countries. The remaining players will leave India by Saturday.

It will be interesting to see how BCCI brings back the foreign players and restarts the tournament. Because without them, it will be difficult to organize matches.

Players will start playing for the country

If the IPL resumes at the end of May, most of the foreign players will be able to return. The teams believe so. If these matches are played after May 25, it will be difficult for the players to return. The biggest reason for this is that many players will be playing for their national team then.

The final of the World Test Championship (WTC) is also scheduled to be held between the Australia and the South Africa at Lord's from June 11.

Starting the tournament is not easy

BCCI has kept all three grounds ready. Despite this, officials believe that it will not be easy to restart this competition now. All the teams were informed about this on Friday without any formal announcement. People from many teams are saying that all the remaining matches can be held at the end of the year.

Punjab-Delhi match had to be canceled midway

On the night of 8 May at around 8.30 pm, Pakistan attacked the borders of Jammu, Punjab and Rajasthan of India with missiles and drones. During this time, a match was being played between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. It had to be stopped midway.

Gujarat on top, 3 teams out of the playoffs race

By the time IPL 2025 was halted midway, 57 matches of the league stage had been completed. The 58th match was halted midway. After 57 matches, Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bangalore had the highest points in the points table with 16-16 points.

GT remained on top due to better run rate. Punjab was third, Mumbai fourth and Delhi fifth. Whereas Chennai, Rajasthan and Hyderabad teams were out of the playoff race.

Also Read: Rohit Sharma stats in Tests: Is Rohit the greatest test opener since Virender Sehwag?

Gujarat-Bengaluru have 3-3 matches left

When the tournament was stopped, 4 teams had 2-2 matches left. Whereas 6 teams including Gujarat and Bangalore had not played 3-3 matches. A match was to be played between Lucknow and Bangalore in Lucknow on Friday, but the tournament was stopped before that.

Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from Test cricket on Wednesday. 38-year-old Rohit had already retired from T20I cricket. For now, he will continue to play for India in the ODI format and he is also the captain of Team India in this format. After this announcement by Rohit, his 11-year long Test cricket career also came to an end.

Rohit Sharma had a very good Test cricket career and he played for India in this format from number one to number six. However, he was very successful as an opener in Test cricket. 

Also Read: Rohit Sharma stats in tests

Let's take a look at Rohit Sharma stats in Tests as an opener.

Rohit scored most centuries as an opener

Rohit scored 4301 runs in 67 Test matches played in his career at an average of 40.57 with 12 centuries and 18 half-centuries, but he scored the most centuries as an opener.

Rohit was elevated to that role for the first time in October 2019, and since then, no other opener has scored as many tons. Overall, only four batters have scored more Test tons than Rohit in this period.

Rohit Sharma stats in Tests: Most sixes for India

Rohit has hit a total of 88 sixes in his Test cricket career and is second on the list of batsmen who have hit the most sixes for India in the longer format of cricket. If he had hit 3 more sixes in the Test, he would have become the batsman who has hit the most sixes in Tests for India. The record for hitting the most sixes in Tests for India is held by Virender Sehwag who hit a total of 90 sixes.

Rohit Sharma stats in Tests: Most centuries for India in won Test matches

Rohit Sharma is at number 5 in the list of batsmen who have scored the most centuries in Test matches won by India. He has scored a total of 12 centuries in Test matches won by India. Sachin Tendulkar is at the top of this list with 20 centuries.

• 20 - Sachin Tendulkar 
• 15 - Rahul Dravid 
• 14 - Virat Kohli
• 13 - Cheteshwar Pujara 
• 12 - Rohit Sharma

Also Read: Rohit Sharma in ICC tournaments for India

Rohit Sharma stats in Tests as an opener

As an opener in Test cricket, Rohit scored a total of 2697 runs in 66 innings for India. During this period, his average was 42.81 while in these 66 innings, he also scored 9 centuries and 8 half-centuries. His best score as an opener in Tests was 212 runs.

We have all heard multiple times that T20 cricket is a batter’s game. However, one thing is to be noted that it is a bowler who turns the game for his team most times. The teams across the world have understood the fact that they need a good set of bowlers to win a tournament. This is true in the biggest T20 tournament IPL as well.

Over the years, it has been seen that teams who possess quality bowlers perform quite well, while those who struggle in this department generally lag behind.

So, let's take a look at the bowlers with the most wickets in IPL history.

Also Read: Fastest 50 IPL Wickets Among Pacers (by Matches)

Top 10 bowlers with most wickets in IPL history:

10. Ravindra Jadeja | 166 Wickets

Ravindra Jadeja is easily the most well-rounded cricketer India has ever produced. A major portion of his success needs to be credited to the IPL, as the Saurashtra superstar built his international career by learning in the IPL under cricketing greats like Shane Warne, MS Dhoni, Stephen Fleming, and others. 

Apart from missing the 2010 season, Ravindra Jadeja has played all the other seasons with him representing Chennai Super Kings (CSK) since 2012. He has played 249 games taking 166 wickets with the ball with an average of 30.43 and an economy rate of 7.64.

His generational fielding skills have also shined, as the 36-year-old has taken 103 catches in the competition, making him ‘The Ultimate All-rounder’ as he is the only player to have 1000+ runs, 100+ wickets, and 100+ catches, fulfilling his 3-dimensional abilities to the fullest. 

9. Lasith Malinga | 170 Wickets

Lasith Malinga, who is undoubtedly the greatest pacer in the IPL history has taken 170 wickets in 122 games he has played. Malinga averages 19.79 with the bowl and maintained an economy rate of 7.14 in the cash-rich league. 

Though 108 of these wickets have come in death overs where batters try to score at a faster pace and often get out in the process, still his overall numbers are too good to be questioned.

Malinga started playing for Mumbai Indians in the 2009 season, and last appeared in the 2019 season. His final over in the 2019 final was enough to prove his greatness even at that stage of his career.

8. Amit Mishra | 174 Wickets

The next bowler on the list is Indian leggie Amit Mishra who has picked 174 wickets in 162 games. The eighth-highest wicket-taker in the history of IPL, Mishra, went unsold in the mega auction of IPL 2025. 

He has recorded an impressive economy of 7.37 in the league and has been crucial in taking wickets in middle overs. However, previously he has played for Lucknow Super Giants.

7. Jasprit Bumrah | 174 Wickets

Jasprit Bumrah, the game-changer of the game has put his name at no. 7 on this list of bowlers who scalped the most wickets in IPL history. Bumrah has been playing for Mumbai Indians since the 2013 season, in which the franchise bought him at a cheap price.

Bumrah has scalped 174 wickets in 139 games with an average of 22.38. Meanwhile, Bumrah has bowled at an economy rate of 7.30 in the franchise cricket league. This year he is playing for MI again as the franchise retained him before the mega auction.

6. Dwayne Bravo | 183 Wickets 

Dwayne Bravo with 183 wickets is the sixth name on the list. Bravo had been a vital cog in Chennai’s bowling lineup, particularly in the death overs. With MS Dhoni being captain, Bravo’s potential has been used very cleverly for the team’s benefit. 

The all-rounder has played 161 IPL games and averages 23.82 with the ball. He played his last IPL match in the 2022 season for Chennai.

Also Read: IPL Facts: Best Economy in IPL Since 2024

5. Ravichandran Ashwin | 185 Wickets

Ravichandran Ashwin is always known as a great bowler in Test cricket but he has also proved his ability in the shortest format of the game. Meanwhile, Ash comes at number five on this list of bowlers with the most wickets in IPL history. 

Ashwin has picked 185 wickets in 219 matches with an average of 30.22. He has also maintained an economy rate of 7.18. 

Ashwin went on to play for Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals, and returns to the CSK fold after having featured for Rajasthan Royals for the last three seasons.

The Indian off-spinner was bought by Chennai Super Kings for Rs. 9.75 crore at the IPL 2025 auction. Ashwin had burst onto the scene in 2009 with CSK under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. He represented Super Kings till 2015 and was part of two title-winning campaigns, in 2010 and 2011. 

4. Sunil Narine | 190* Wickets

The next bowler on this is none other than the West Indies magician Sunil Narine. Narine has taken 190 wickets in 186 games with an average of 25.39 and bowls with an economy rate of 6.77. 

He has been a crucial member of the Kolkata-based franchise KKR, as the franchise won the league back in 2012, 2014, and 2024.

Narine has also played as an opener under Gambhir's captaincy. However, currently, he is with the KKR franchise as they retain the off-spinner before the IPL 2025 mega auction.

3. Piyush Chawla | 192 Wickets

Piyush Chawla, who was bought by Mumbai Indians for IPL 2021 in the mini-auction is the third-highest wicket-taker in the league history. He has picked 192 wickets in 192 matches with an average of 26.60 and an economy being 7.96. 

Piyush Chawla has earlier featured for Chennai, Punjab, and Kolkata-based franchises in the cash-rich league.

Over the last two years, Chawla was the lead spinner for Mumbai Indians. But, no teams went for him in IPL 2025 auction.

2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 193 Wickets

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, with 193 wickets is the second name in this list of players with the most wickets in IPL. Bhuvi has played in 185 matches in which he took those 193 wickets at an average of 27.01. However, he has bowled with an economy rate of 7.60 in the league. 

Meanwhile, Bhuvi is playimg for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru franchise as they bought him in the IPL 2025 mega auction at a whopping 10.75 crore price.

Also Read: Most Dot Balls Bowled in IPL History: No one is catching Bhuvi

1. Yuzvendra Chahal | 214 Wickets

Yuzvendra Chahal has taken the most wickets in IPL history. Chahal has played in 169 games in which he has scalped 214 wickets with an average of 22.63. Moreover, he has an economy of 7.90 in the league.

Previously Chahal has played for RCB till 2021 and this season he is featuring the Punjab Kings as they bought him in the IPL 2025 mega auction.

Chahal was with Rajasthan Royals since the 2022 season, claiming 66 wickets in 46 games. He has also represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians earlier in the IPL. He is among the 19 bowlers to have claimed a hat-trick in the IPL.

The leg-break bowler also won the Purple Cap for being the leading wicket-taker during the 2022 season, with 27 wickets to his name in 17 games at an average of 19.51 and an economy of 7.75.