The most expensive spell in T20 cricket belongs to Musa Jobarteh of Gambia, who conceded 93 runs in four overs against Zimbabwe in Nairobi on 23 October 2024. Zimbabwe made 344 for 4 that day and won by 290 runs, and Jobarteh’s 4-0-93-0 is the record in both T20 internationals and all T20 cricket.
In the Indian T20 League the record is Jofra Archer’s 0/76 for Rajasthan against Hyderabad in March 2025, one of three spells in that season that went past Mohit Sharma’s 73 from 2024. Figures below run to 6 October 2026 (source: ESPNcricinfo).
Most runs conceded in a T20 innings
| Bowler | For | Against | Figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Musa Jobarteh | Gambia | Zimbabwe, 2024 | 4-0-93-0 |
| Mattie McKiernan | Derbyshire | Somerset, 2022 | 4-0-82-0 |
| Sarmad Anwar | Sialkot Stallions | Lahore Lions, 2011 | 4-0-81-0 |
| Roshan Kumar | Sikkim | Baroda, 2024 | 4-0-81-2 |
| Liam McCarthy | Ireland | West Indies, 2025 | 4-0-81-0 |
| Ben Sanderson | Northants | Yorkshire, 2017 | 4-0-77-0 |
| Qais Ahmad | Quetta Gladiators | Multan Sultans, 2023 | 4-0-77-2 |
| Dominic Drakes | St Kitts Patriots | Trinbago, 2024 | 4-0-77-0 |
Before Jobarteh, the record belonged to Derbyshire leg-spinner Mattie McKiernan, who went for 82 against Somerset at Taunton in July 2022. That had beaten Sarmad Anwar’s 81 for Sialkot Stallions against Lahore Lions in 2011. Two more bowlers have since conceded 81: Roshan Kumar of Sikkim, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Baroda in December 2024, and Ireland’s Liam McCarthy against West Indies in June 2025.
Most runs conceded in a T20I innings
| Bowler | For | Against | Figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Musa Jobarteh | Gambia | Zimbabwe, 2024 | 4-0-93-0 |
| Liam McCarthy | Ireland | West Indies, 2025 | 4-0-81-0 |
| Kasun Rajitha | Sri Lanka | Australia, 2019 | 4-0-75-0 |
| Chris Sole | Scotland | New Zealand, 2022 | 4-0-72-1 |
| Tunahan Turan | Turkey | Czech Republic, 2019 | 4-0-70-1 |
| Kagiso Rabada | South Africa | England, 2025 | 4-0-70-0 |
| Umair Tariq | Austria | Germany, 2026 | 4-0-70-3 |
| Wasim Al Balushi | Oman | Hong Kong, 2026 | 3-0-70-0 |
For five years Sri Lanka’s Kasun Rajitha held the T20I record with 0/75 against Australia at Adelaide in October 2019. Jobarteh broke it by 18 runs, and McCarthy’s 81 is now the most by a bowler from a Test-playing nation. Four bowlers have conceded 70, including South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada against England at Old Trafford in September 2025, and Oman’s Wasim Al Balushi, who went for 70 in only three overs against Hong Kong in June 2026.
Most runs conceded in an Indian T20 League innings
| Bowler | For | Against | Figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jofra Archer | Rajasthan | Hyderabad, 2025 | 4-0-76-0 |
| Mohammed Shami | Hyderabad | Punjab, 2025 | 4-0-75-0 |
| Will O’Rourke | Lucknow | Bengaluru, 2025 | 4-0-74-2 |
| Mohit Sharma | Gujarat | Delhi, 2024 | 4-0-73-0 |
| Basil Thampi | Hyderabad | Bengaluru, 2018 | 4-0-70-0 |
The 2025 season rewrote this list. Archer’s 76 against Hyderabad came on the opening weekend, Mohammed Shami conceded 75 for Hyderabad against Punjab in April, and New Zealand’s Will O’Rourke 74 for Lucknow against Bengaluru in May. Mohit Sharma’s 73 for Gujarat against Delhi in April 2024 had itself broken Basil Thampi’s 70, which had stood since 2018.
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Featured photo: AFP / MICHAEL SHEEHAN