The KKR franchise pacer is the leading wicket-taker of T20 World Cup 2026.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise pacer Shadley van Schalkwyk has shown tremendous form in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. While not part of IPL yet, Shadley represents the Knight Riders in International League T20 (ILT20) and Major League Cricket (MLC).
Shadley is currently the leading wicket-taker in the global tournament, with 13 wickets at an average of 7.76 and a strike rate of 6.84 in four innings, including two four-wicket hauls – both against Group A’s best teams, India and Pakistan, suggesting how good he has been as a bowler. Shadley started the T20 World Cup 2026 with a terrific spell against India at the Wankhede Stadium, where he registered figures of 4-0-25-4.
He dismissed big batters like Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, and Shivam Dube to make a statement and start the tournament on a high note. Later, the KKR franchise bowler continued his good work against Pakistan by taking another four-wicket haul, where he removed the likes of Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, and Faheem Ashraf.
In the third fixture against Netherlands, Shadley van Schalkwyk took another three wickets and looked in sublime form. To cap off the group stage, he picked up two more scalps against Namibia, where the deck was near flat and hardly assisted fast bowlers, but he bowled immaculate lines and lengths to give nothing to batters.
Shadley van Schalkwyk has superior skills, and his recent improvements have fetched him ample success in sub-continent conditions. So, he has definitely bolstered his chances of coming into IPL at some stage, even if not for the 2026 season.
ALSO READ:
The IPL 2026 auction has already concluded, and Shadley’s only option to participate in the competition is as a replacement player. KKR will need an alternative for Mustafizur Rahman, who won’t participate in the edition, and Shadley might be an option, considering his association with the franchise in other leagues.
However, other pacers like Blessing Muzarabani remain slightly ahead in the race, as they have experience and more exposure to these pitches. However, Schalkwyk is in the form of his life, and there can’t be a better time to utilise it.
Not only KKR, but a few other IPL franchises might also need a few replacements in their squad, and recency bias plays a role in player acquisition. That Schalkwyk has already featured in near-identical conditions ahead of IPL 2026 is another major plus, particularly with very few quality pacers available as replacement options should the need arise.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
