Chahal vs Bishnoi: why Yuzi is still India's better leg-spinner across formats

Ravi Bishnoi was part of India's Asian Games gold-winning side in Nisshin this week, and he is the leg-spinner India have turned to in T20Is since 2022. Yuzvendra Chahal hasn't played for India since August 2023. So why do so many fans still believe Yuzi is the better bowler?

We looked at the numbers, and the answer is more interesting than either side of the argument usually admits.

Chahal vs Bishnoi: T20I stats

• Yuzvendra Chahal: 80 matches, 96 wickets, average 25.09, best 6/25, one five-wicket haul
• Ravi Bishnoi: 52 matches, 71 wickets, average 20.35, economy 7.49, best 4/13

Bishnoi's T20I figures are from our stats provider as of 1 October 2026, before the Asian Games final. Chahal's are his complete T20I career.

Where Bishnoi wins

Let's be fair to Bishnoi first. On pure T20I numbers he is ahead. An average of around 20 and an economy under 7.5 is excellent for a leg-spinner, and he was briefly ranked the No. 1 T20I bowler in the world. He bowls quicker and flatter than a traditional leggie, which makes him very hard to slog, and he is a far better fielder.

He is also 10 years younger, and in 2026 he became the youngest Indian to take 200 T20 wickets.

Why Chahal is still the better leg-spinner

1. He is a genuine wicket-taker in every format

Chahal has 121 ODI wickets in 72 matches at 26.77, with two five-wicket hauls and a best of 6 for 42 against Australia in Melbourne. Bishnoi has played one ODI. When India need a leg-spinner who can take wickets in the middle overs of a 50-over game, Chahal is the proven option, and Bishnoi is still untested.

2. He has the biggest match-winning spells

Chahal's 6 for 25 against England in Bengaluru in 2017 made him the first Indian to take a five-wicket haul in T20Is, and at the time only the second bowler in the world to take six in a T20I. Bishnoi's best is 4 for 13. Chahal's best days have won India games on their own.

3. The IPL proves he does it year after year

Chahal is the IPL's all-time leading wicket-taker, with 233 wickets in 188 matches at an average of 23.25. In April 2024 he became the first bowler to take 200 IPL wickets, he won the Purple Cap in 2022, and he has an IPL hat-trick. That is more than a decade of facing the best T20 batters in the world, on flat Indian pitches, and still finishing top of the list.

4. Flight and guile

Chahal gives the ball air and dares batters to hit him. That brings stumpings, catches in the deep and false shots. Bishnoi's flatter, quicker style is harder to hit but, on good batting pitches, it can be easier to milk for singles without risk.

5. Bishnoi's recent form has dipped

Bishnoi's numbers have slipped since his early years. In 2026 he is averaging 26.3 in T20Is at an economy of 8.17, according to our stats provider, and he went for 44 runs in three wicketless overs in the Asian Games final against Pakistan. His best spells came in 2022 to 2024.

The case against Chahal

Chahal turned 36 in July, and his last IPL season was expensive: 12 wickets at an economy of 9.39 for Punjab Kings. India's selectors have also moved on to Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel in white-ball cricket, so the question may be academic for now.

Our verdict

If you only look at T20I averages and economy rates, Bishnoi wins. But if you ask which leg-spinner has taken more wickets, won more matches, and done it across ODIs, T20Is and more than a decade of IPL cricket, Chahal comes out on top. Bishnoi is the present and could be the future, but Yuzi's career is still the one to beat.

Who's your pick: Chahal or Bishnoi? Follow every India match on TryBall for live scores, scorecards and where to watch.