Yearender 2025: The batters might have taken 2025 by storm after scoring lots of runs, but this year was also marked by those bowlers who took wickets consistently and turned the tide of these matches.
From finger spinners to left-arm bowlers, they have not just topped the list but also delivered crucial spells under pressure. Their numbers capture how often they have broken partnerships and dictated terms with both new ball and in the slog overs.
Deepti Sharma (India) – 39 Wickets
Deepti Sharma’s 2025 has been defined by spells where she has simultaneously tied down one end and prized out key wickets, with her 5 for 39, coming in India’s maiden ODI World Cup win, the standout burst. Across 23 matches, she bowled 206.1 overs for 39 wickets, and that workload underlines the trust placed in her at all stages of the innings. An average of 27.10 and an economy of 5.12 highlight how she has operated as both a run-dryer and a partnership-breaker, often wheeling away unchanged in the middle overs. Her strike rate of 31.71, helped by one four-for and a five-for, reflects spells where a single breakthrough has snowballed into mini-collapses. In tight finishes, she has also been asked to bowl at the death, using her subtle changes of pace and angles to keep hitters guessing.
Nonkululeko Mlaba (South Africa) – 35 Wickets
Nonkululeko Mlaba’s left-arm spin has produced some suffocating spells, with her best of 4 for 33 being one of several days when batters struggled to get her away. She picked up 35 wickets in 19 innings while sending down 151 overs, a mark of how central she is to South Africa’s bowling plans. An excellent average of 20.54 and an economy rate of 4.76 speak to her accuracy and discipline, as she continually attacks the stumps and challenges both edges. Her strike rate of 25.88 and three four-wicket hauls show how quickly she can dismantle an opposition once she finds a hint of grip or drift. Many of her spells have turned quiet middle overs into match-turning passages where the required run rate spikes and panic sets in.
Sophie Ecclestone (England) – 28 Wickets
Sophie Ecclestone has delivered her usual mix of control and incisiveness, with the best of 4 for 17 against Sri Lanka in the World Cup headlining 2025 for England. She struck 28 wickets in just 13 games, sending down 112.1 overs and conceding only 466 runs, which yields a stunning average of 16.64. Her economy rate of 4.15 shows how she squeezes batters even on placid surfaces, building pressure that forces errors at the other end as well. A strike rate of 24.03 and three four-wicket hauls underlines the fact that she is not just containing but constantly threatening the stumps and pads. Several of her spells have come in crunch situations where England needed someone to break stubborn stands, and she has repeatedly answered with double-strike overs.
Sneh Rana (India) – 28 Wickets
Sneh Rana’s 2025 was studded with hard-working, often under-the-radar spells, capped by a superb 5 for 43 that showcased her full range. She took 28 wickets in 17 matches, bowling 149.2 overs and often operating in long, holding spells through the middle of the innings. Conceding 782 runs at an average of 27.92 and an economy of 5.23, she kept India in control even when conditions did not offer much turn. Her strike rate of 32.00, and the combination of a four-for and five-for, speak to her knack for delivering decisive bursts once she finds the right length. More than once, she has come on after a brisk start from the opposition and slowed the scoring to a crawl while chiseling away at their middle order.
Alana King (Australia) – 25 Wickets
Alana King produced some of the most destructive spells of the year, none more dramatic than a world record 7 for 18, a spell that ripped through South Africa’s line-up almost single-handedly. With 25 wickets in 13 games from 98.2 overs, she has been Australia’s strike weapon, handed the ball whenever a breakthrough was desperately needed. An average of 17.84 and an economy of 4.53 underline how she combines aggression with control, rarely offering freebies even when attacking with flight. Her strike rate of 23.60, boosted by one four-for and two five-wicket hauls, shows how quickly she can run through a side once she gets on a roll. In several matches, her middle-overs spells have flipped the momentum, turning seemingly comfortable positions for winning into collapses.