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The Hundred Men’s 2026 season delivered another fascinating battle between bat and ball, with several bowlers making a major impact for their respective teams. While the tournament witnessed plenty of explosive batting performances, the bowlers who consistently delivered in pressure situations proved equally important.
With the competition now concluded, Josh Tongue, Richard Gleeson and Sonny Baker emerged as the top three wicket-takers. Tongue and Gleeson finished level on 14 wickets, while Baker was just one scalp behind them with 13.
Josh Tongue finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker, claiming 14 wickets in 10 matches for Manchester Super Giants. He averaged 18.43 and bowled 32.3 sets of five deliveries, underlining his importance to the Super Giants’ bowling attack.
Tongue’s biggest strength throughout the campaign was his ability to generate pace and bounce. The right-arm fast bowler consistently challenged batters with his high release point and proved particularly effective when attacking the stumps.
His performances became even more valuable during the knockout stages.
In the Eliminator against SunRisers Leeds, Tongue produced a match-winning spell, claiming four wickets as Manchester Super Giants booked their place in the final. His victims included key batters such as Mitchell Marsh and Zak Crawley, helping restrict SunRisers after Manchester had posted 186.
Tongue’s contribution was therefore not limited to league-stage consistency. He delivered when the pressure was at its highest and played a significant role in Manchester reaching the final.
Although the Super Giants ultimately had other heroes in the final, particularly Tim Seifert, Tongue’s bowling throughout the competition was one of the reasons the franchise managed to secure its maiden men’s Hundred title.
Richard Gleeson matched Tongue’s tally of 14 wickets, finishing second on the official wicket-taking charts. The fast bowler claimed his wickets in just eight matches, giving him an impressive strike rate and making his campaign one of the most efficient among the leading bowlers.
Gleeson’s numbers are particularly impressive considering the relatively small number of matches he played. He bowled 23.1 overs-equivalent of five-ball sets and averaged 16.86 runs per wicket, better than Tongue’s 18.43.
His ability to operate with pace and variations made him a difficult proposition for batters. In a format where bowlers have only 100 deliveries to defend each innings, taking wickets regularly is often more valuable than simply restricting the scoring rate.
Gleeson consistently provided that wicket-taking threat.
His 2026 campaign also highlighted the importance of experienced fast bowlers in The Hundred. With batters constantly looking to attack from the first delivery, bowlers such as Gleeson need to be capable of changing their pace, hitting hard lengths and taking wickets even when the margin for error is extremely small.
While Tongue finished ahead of him on the overall leaderboard, Gleeson’s superior bowling average demonstrates just how effective he was when he took the field.
Sonny Baker was another standout performer in Manchester Super Giants’ bowling attack and finished third among the tournament’s wicket-takers with 13 wickets in nine matches. He averaged 22.15 and bowled 28.4 five-ball sets.
Baker’s emergence was one of the encouraging stories of the 2026 campaign. The young English seamer consistently showed the ability to compete against some of the world’s best T20 batters.
His performances were particularly important for Manchester because he provided support to Tongue and the team’s other bowling options.
Baker also made an impact during the crucial knockout stage. In the Eliminator against SunRisers Leeds, he claimed two wickets, including the important dismissal of Harry Brook, as Manchester successfully defended their total and advanced to the final.
That performance summed up Baker’s campaign: he was capable of producing wickets when his team needed them most.
His emergence also gives Manchester Super Giants an exciting bowling option for future editions of The Hundred. With Tongue and Baker both playing important roles during their title-winning campaign, the franchise possesses a promising English pace combination.
| Rank | Player | Wickets | |
| 1 | Josh Tongue | 14 | |
| 2 | Richard Gleeson | 14 | |
| 3 | Sonny Baker | 13 | |
| 4 | Gus Atkinson | 12 | |
| 5 | Brydon Carse | 12 | |
| 6 | Adil Rashid | 11 | |
| 7 | Nathan Ellis | 11 | |
| 8 | Marcus Stoinis | 10 |
The leading wicket-takers list shows how important fast bowling was during the 2026 season, with Tongue, Gleeson, Baker, Atkinson and Carse all featuring prominently.
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