The Women’s Asia Cup was first played in 2004, and since then, it has been held on eight occasions. Throughout these editions, bowlers have often provided their teams with crucial breakthroughs. In this article, we review the season-wise leading wicket-takers in each edition of the Women’s Asia Cup.
2004 – Mamatha Maben (10 wickets)
In the first edition of the Women’s Asia Cup, Mamatha Maben was the leading wicket-taker with 10 scalps to her name. She captained the Indian side in the inaugural Asia Cup played between India and Sri Lanka. In the first match against the Lankan side, she took two wickets, finishing with figures of 2 for 13 in five overs. Although the medium pacer grabbed only a single wicket in the second match, she bowled four maiden overs in her five-over spell, conceding just five runs. It was in the fourth match that she claimed six wickets for 10 runs, which also became her best bowling figures in ODI cricket. Following her outstanding spell, Sri Lanka was bowled out for 66, with India registering a comfortable victory. She finished the tournament with 10 wickets at an economy of 2.14, playing a crucial role in India’s first triumph in the Asia Cup’s first edition.
2005/06 – Neetu David (9 Wickets)
Neetu David was the leading wicket-taker in the second edition of the Women’s Asia Cup. In the first match against the Islanders, the Indian spinner took two wickets, finishing with figures of 2 for 17 in nine overs, including three maidens. This was followed by two more wickets against the same side in the next match. Against Pakistan, she picked up three wickets for seven runs, including five maiden overs in her 7.4-over spell, which was exceptional. In the final against the Lankan side, she claimed two wickets, finishing the tournament on a high.
2006 – Thirush Kamini (8 wickets)
Indian leg-spinner Thirush Kamini was the leading wicket-taker in the third edition of the Women’s Asia Cup, taking 8 wickets. Kamini claimed three wickets in the opening match of the third edition against Pakistan, finishing with figures of 3 for 19 in her 10-over spell, which is also her best bowling figures in ODI cricket. In the next match against the Lankan side, she picked up two wickets, conceding 38 runs, supported by her 60 with the bat to secure a victory for India while chasing 146. She was named the player of the match for her all-round performance. Her all-round performance continued with two more wickets against the Islanders in the next match. She was named player of the series with 135 runs and 8 wickets throughout the tournament.
2008 – Seema Pujare (14 wickets)
In the fourth consecutive edition, an Indian bowler was the leading wicket-taker in the Asia Cup. Seema Pujare was the leading wicket-taker this time around, taking 14 wickets. She started the tournament with a five-wicket haul, conceding 17 runs. In India’s match against the Islanders, she picked up three wickets. After missing the next couple of matches, she made a comeback with a player of the match performance against the Islanders, finishing with figures of 3 for 35. She delivered another splendid performance against the Islanders in the final, picking up three wickets for 10 runs in her 10-over spell.
2012 – Reema Malhotra (7 wickets)
Indian leg-spinner Reema Malhotra was the leading wicket-taker in the 2012 Women’s Asia Cup, which was also the first edition played in the T20 format. In the first match against Thailand, she took two wickets in her two-over spell, including a maiden, conceding just one run. Her performance against Thailand was followed by two wickets against Hong Kong, conceding five runs. She took two wickets against Pakistan, providing crucial breakthroughs during the middle overs. She claimed a wicket in the final, finishing the tournament with 7 wickets as the leading wicket-taker.
2016 – Sana Mir (12 wickets)
Pakistan spinner Sana Mir took the most wickets during the 2016 edition of the Women’s Asia Cup. It was also the first occasion where an Indian bowler did not lead the bowling charts after claiming it in the first five seasons of the Asia Cup. Sana Mir took two wickets in Pakistan’s first match against Nepal, finishing with figures of 2 for 7 in three overs. Against the Islanders, she finished with figures of 1 for 30 in four overs. Against Bangladesh, she picked up three wickets in a spectacular performance that saw Bangladesh bowled out for 44. Another impressive performance followed against Thailand, where she took 4 wickets for 9 runs, earning the player of the match award. She took a wicket in the final against India but ended up on the losing side.
2018 – Nida Dar (11 wickets)
For the second consecutive edition, a Pakistan bowler was the leading wicket-taker in the Women’s Asia Cup, with the first being Sana Mir. Pakistan spinner Nida Dar topped the list of most wickets in the 2018 Women’s Asia Cup with 16 wickets. Nida Dar picked up a wicket against Thailand in Pakistan’s first match, finishing with figures of 1 for 11 in four overs. Against the Islanders, she claimed a five-wicket haul, finishing with figures of 5 for 21, and was named player of the match. This was followed by another splendid bowling display against Malaysia, where she took 4 wickets for 5 runs in 3.4 overs, earning her second consecutive player of the match award for her all-round performance, which included scoring 41 runs with the bat. Though her side didn’t make it to the final, she finished with 16 wickets during that edition.
2022 – Deepti Sharma (13 wickets)
In the sixth edition, an Indian bowler ended up being the leading wicket-taker in an edition of the Women’s Asia Cup. This time, it was off-spinner Deepti Sharma topping the charts. In India’s first game against the Lankan side, she took two wickets for 15 runs in four overs. She put in a brilliant performance in the match against Pakistan, finishing with figures of 3 for 27 in 4 overs, though it ended in a losing cause. She played a crucial role in India’s victory over Bangladesh in the next match, claiming two wickets. The off-spinner took three wickets for 7 runs in the semi-final against Thailand, playing a vital role in guiding her side to the final. Although she went wicketless in the final against Sri Lanka, she was named player of the series, picking up 13 wickets in the tournament and scoring 94 runs with the bat.