India's T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma took two catches in the second T20I against New Zealand at Hagley Oval on October 24, 2026, taking his tally for the year to 26 — the most catches by any fielder in a single calendar year in T20 International history, according to Telangana Today and Crictracker. He passed the previous mark of 25, set by Indonesia's Danilson Hawoe in 2025; India TV News put Varma's year-end figure at 27.
Tilak Varma became the leading catcher in a single T20I calendar year during India's second T20 International against New Zealand at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday, October 24, 2026. The India vice-captain needed two catches to break the record and took both inside the first three overs of New Zealand's innings.
How the record catches came
Varma's first catch of the match dismissed New Zealand opener Tim Seifert at cover, after Seifert miscued a shot off a delivery from Arshdeep Singh, according to Crictracker and Telangana Today. His second catch removed Daryl Mitchell, who edged a ball from Bhuvneshwar Kumar toward a backtracking Varma; Telangana Today reported that the wicket was Bhuvneshwar's first on his return to the Indian team.
With those two dismissals, Varma's catch count for 2026 reached 26, according to Telangana Today and Crictracker, surpassing the 25 catches taken by Indonesia's Danilson Hawoe in 2025. India TV News, however, reported the milestone catch as Varma's 27th of the year. The discrepancy in the exact count was not resolved across the sources reviewed.
The record in numbers
Most catches by a fielder in a T20I calendar year
Player
Country
Catches
Year
Tilak Varma
India
26 (reported as 27 by India TV News)
2026
Danilson Hawoe
Indonesia
25
2025
Series context
The record came in the second match of India's T20I series in New Zealand. India had won the series opener by four wickets with two balls remaining, in what Crictracker described as the highest successful run chase in T20I history, with 455 combined runs scored across both innings. For the second T20I, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi returned to India's squad in place of Ishan Kishan, who was unavailable because of a groin injury, according to Crictracker.
In the second T20I, India won the toss and chose to bowl first. New Zealand reached 180 runs in their innings, with Glenn Phillips scoring 70 and Bevon Jacobs 58, according to India TV News.
Varma took his record-breaking catches off Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the second T20I at Hagley Oval.
He passed Danilson Hawoe's 2025 tally of 25 catches, a record set during Indonesia's T20I matches that year.
The series opener was India's highest successful run chase in T20I history, per Crictracker.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up his first wicket on his return to the Indian T20I side in the same match, according to Telangana Today.
Questions
How many catches does Tilak Varma have in the 2026 calendar year?
Telangana Today and Crictracker reported Varma's tally at 26 catches after the second T20I against New Zealand on October 24, 2026, while India TV News reported the figure as 27.
Whose record did Tilak Varma break?
Varma surpassed the previous mark of 25 catches in a calendar year, set by Indonesia's Danilson Hawoe in 2025, according to Telangana Today and Crictracker.
Which catches completed the record?
Varma caught New Zealand's Tim Seifert off Arshdeep Singh's bowling and then Daryl Mitchell off Bhuvneshwar Kumar's bowling, both within the first three overs of the second T20I, per Crictracker.
What happened in the rest of the India-New Zealand T20I series?
India won the series opener by four wickets with two balls remaining in what Crictracker called the highest successful run chase in T20I history; the record-setting catches came in the following, second T20I at Hagley Oval.
Is Tilak Varma India's T20I captain?
Reports from Telangana Today and Crictracker identify Varma as India's T20I vice-captain at the time of the record.
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