The brutal nature of modern-day T20 cricket has led to a massive increase in expensive bowling figures. The recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal between India and England, which produced a run aggregate of 499 runs, had only two bowlers in total who had an economy of below 10 runs per over.
Amid the format’s evolution, Indian bowlers have also had to suffer with some brutal spells on occasion. In fact, four of the five most expensive bowling figures by Indians have come since 2022.
The bowlers have had to combat the aggressive intent of the batters, increased bat sizes, and small boundary dimensions. Given that there is not much room for error either, it is no surprise that the majority of the expensive spells are a recent memory.
On that note, let us take a look at the top five most expensive 4-over spells by an Indian in T20Is.
#1 Prasidh Krishna (0-68; IND vs AUS 2023 3rd T20I; Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati)
The right-arm pacer is the unfortunate candidate to hold the record for the most expensive spell by an Indian in T20I history. He conceded 68 runs off his four overs during the third T20I against Australia, where the Men in Blue were looking to defend a 223-run target amid some heavy dew.
Prasidh Krishna had conceded 45 runs off his first three overs, which also included a tight 18th over, where he gave away only six runs. However, tasked with defending 21 runs off the final over against a rampant Glenn Maxwell, the pacer conceded five boundaries, including four in a row, as Australia walked away with a last-ball win.
Prasidh Krishna’s dismal figures of 0-68 are also the seventh joint-most expensive spell in T20I cricket history.
#2 Yuzvendra Chahal (0-64; SA vs IND 2018 2nd T20I, SuperSport Park, Centurion)
Wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has the joint-most expensive bowling figures among Indian spinners in T20I history. He was taken apart for 64 runs during the second T20I in Team India’s 2018 tour of South Africa. Defending a 189-run target, Chahal, the sole spinner in the playing XI, was targetted by the South African batters.
The spinner was dominated by Heinrich Klaasen during the run chase, which included a 23-run over, where three sixes were slammed in ruthless fashion. Chahal conceded a total of seven sixes in his four-over spell as South Africa chased down the score with eight balls to spare.
#3 Varun Chakaravarthy (1-64; IND vs ENG T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal; Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai)
The mystery spinner recorded the worst outing of his career as he was clobbered for 64 runs in the second T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal against England. Coming into the contest with a little bit of shaky form, the No. 1-ranked T20I spinner faced an onslaught of the highest order.
Varun Chakaravarthy was welcomed into the attack with three consecutive sixes by Jacob Bethell, and the spell only took a turn for the worse after that. Although the spinner responded with Jos Buttler’s wicket shortly after, he could not impose himself on the flat surface against the explosive England batters in hunt for a record chase.
This is now the joint second-highest most expensive bowling figures in T20 World Cup history after the USA’s Saurabh Netravalkar conceded 65 runs off his four overs at the same venue against India in the group stage.
#4 Arshdeep Singh (2-62; IND vs SA 2022 2nd T20I; Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati)
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh is the fourth and the last bowler so far in Indian history to have conceded more than 60 runs in a four over T20I spell. Much like the aforementioned Prasidh Krishna, the ace pacer struggled to bowl in the second innings in Guwahati while defending India’s score.
Team India had 237 runs on the board, but the Proteas went hard in the run chase, with David Miller leading the fightback with a hundred. Arshdeep Singh had a forgettable contest amid all the no-balls and also a costly 26-run final over to record his worst-ever bowling figures.
He has conceded at least 60 runs only on two more occasions in mainstream T2 cricket. The pacer was taken for 66 runs by the Mumbai Indians (MI) during a 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) clash, and also for 60 runs in the 2025 season against the Rajasthan Royals (RR).
#5 Jasprit Bumrah (0-58; IND vs NZ 2026 5th T20I; Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram)
An unexpected name in the list comes in the form of Jasprit Bumrah. The legendary bowler, who holds an economy of just 6.55 in T20Is, had the misfortune of having a very rare off day during the series finale of the 2026 home series against New Zealand.
Team India had amassed a record 271, and the Blackcaps had led the fight in the chase through the explosive Finn Allen. While Jasprit Bumrah’s quota of four overs are usually considered to be bankable, on that occasion, he ended up being the most expensive bowler.
It was only the second time in T20Is, that he conceded at least 50 runs across his four overs. The very first instance was during the home T20I series against Australia in 2022, where he was struggling with a back injury.
Edited by Gokul Nair
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