This is our home for Malaysia bowling news: results, squad announcements and season reviews for Malaysian tenpin bowlers at home and overseas. As of 16 October 2026, the national team is in Munich for the IBF World Cup. Below you'll find a recap of the 2026 season so far, the storylines to watch, and where to follow results yourself.
The 2026 season at a glance
It has been a busy year. Malaysia started 2026 as the top bowling nation at the 2025 SEA Games, and the results kept coming. Here are the headline moments in Malaysia bowling news this year, with links to our full reports.
| Date | Event | Malaysian result |
|---|---|---|
| Nov–Dec 2025 | IBF World Championships, Hong Kong | 4 medals, incl. Adelia Nur singles silver |
| Dec 2025 | SEA Games, Bangkok | Top of the bowling table: 2 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze |
| 2 May 2026 | PWBA Rockford Open, USA | Sin Li Jane wins her 6th PWBA title |
| May 2026 | USBC Queens, Las Vegas | Natasha Roslan runner-up |
| 7 Jun 2026 | 44th Malaysian International Open | Rafiq Ismail and Qurratu'ain Izdihar win |
| Jun 2026 | U.S. Women's Open, Indianapolis | Sin Li Jane runner-up after a roll-off |
| 21 Jun 2026 | KL International Open | Rafiq Ismail's third straight title |
| 6 Jul 2026 | IBF World Youth Championships, Kuching | Girls' doubles and mixed team gold |
| Aug 2026 | Asian Junior Championships, Jakarta | Helena Jamal wins two golds |
| Aug 2026 | Sukma, Selangor | Selangor win the women's trio and team golds |
| Oct 2026 | Interstate and National Championships | Selangor retain the Interstate title |
Storylines from the 2026 season
Malaysia's women shine on the PWBA Tour
The biggest overseas story was in the United States. Sin Li Jane opened the PWBA season by winning the Rockford Open from the bottom seed. Later she reached two more title matches. She ended the year third in points and second in earnings with US$74,670.
Meanwhile, Natasha Roslan made her first PWBA championship round at the USBC Queens and finished second. Read about both near misses in our PWBA majors report, or get the full picture in the PWBA 2026 season review.
Rafiq Ismail rules at home
At home, Rafiq Ismail was the man to beat. He won the Malaysian Open 2026 at Sunway Mega Lanes, his third title there. Two weeks later he won a third straight KL International Open, with Tun Hakim second. In the women's event, Nur Syazwani Sahar defended her title ahead of Siti Safiyah Amirah.
The Malaysian Open also gave this Malaysia bowling news page one of its best stories. Development squad bowler Qurratu'ain Izdihar won the women's open, finishing ahead of national podium bowler Adania Redzwan.
Youth medals at home in Kuching
Kuching hosted the IBF World Youth Championships from 27 June to 7 July. Adelia Nur Irwan Syazalee and Adania Mohd Redzwan won girls' doubles gold, Malaysia's first in that event since 2006. Then they helped win mixed team gold too. Read the World Youth Championships report.
In August, the juniors kept it going. Helena Jamal won two golds at the Asian Junior Championships in Jakarta, and Malaysia's girls took team silver.
State rivalry: Sukma and the Interstate
Domestic bowling had a strong year, too. Sunway Mega Lanes hosted the Sukma bowling events in August, and Selangor won the women's trio and team of five. See our Sukma 2026 bowling results. After that, Selangor won a third straight Interstate Championships. Muhammad Syafiq Ridhwan and Gillian Lim won the National Championships. Sarawak's year also included the Hornbill Team Cup and the Sarawak International Open, covered in our Sarawak bowling roundup.
What's happening now: the IBF World Cup
The 2026 IBF World Cup runs from 12 to 21 October at Max Munich Bowling in Brunnthal, Germany. Singles finals are on 18 October and team finals on 21 October. So there is no confirmed Malaysia bowling news from the finals yet.
MTBC named eight bowlers. The men are Rafiq Ismail, Tun Hakim, Timmy Tan and Ahmad Muaz. This is the same quartet that won men's team gold at the 2025 World Cup. The women are Natasha Roslan, Sin Li Jane, Adelia Nur and Nur Hazirah Ramli. In addition, Natasha defends the women's singles title she won in January 2025. Our World Cup 2026 squad story has the details.
Be careful with early reports
Some online summaries already claim World Cup 2026 medals for Malaysia. The team finals have not happened yet, so treat those claims as unconfirmed until the IBF or MTBC publishes results.
Looking ahead to the 2027 SEA Games in Kuching
The biggest Malaysia bowling news of 2027 should come from home. Malaysia hosts the 2027 SEA Games, and bowling will take place at Megalanes in Batu Kawa, Kuching. The ABF calendar lists bowling from 18 to 27 September 2027. After topping the table in Bangkok, the home team will be expected to win again.
Before then, the local calendar stays busy. The Penang International runs in December, and the 45th Malaysian Open follows in May and June 2027. See every date on our bowling competitions in Malaysia page.
How to follow Malaysia bowling news and results
We report results after we have checked them against official pages. However, if you want live scores, go straight to the source:
- MTBC: the national body posts squad news and local results on bowling.my and its Facebook page.
- IBF: world events such as the World Cup appear on bowling.sport.
- ABF: the Asian Bowling Federation publishes detailed score sheets and calendars at abf-online.org.
- PWBA: for Sin Li Jane and Natasha Roslan in the US, check pwba.com.
Want to know more about the players? Our Malaysian bowling athletes hub has profiles of the national team and legends such as Shalin Zulkifli and Esther Cheah. And if the news makes you want to bowl, find a centre near you in our bowling alleys guide or join one of the bowling leagues in Malaysia.
Latest stories
IBF World Cup 2026
Sin Li Jane unbeaten after the women's opening day, two Malaysian men out in qualifying, and no medals decided yet. Updated 16 October.
Nationals 2026
A third national title for Syafiq Ridhwan and a second for Sarawak's Gillian Lim.
Interstate 2026
Selangor took a third straight interstate title with six golds; Sarawak finished second.
Sarawak bowling 2026
Five international events in one year, and the SEA Games bowling heading to Megalanes in Batu Kawa in 2027.
Asian Juniors 2026
Two golds for Helena Jamal and a team silver made Malaysia's girls the second-best squad in Jakarta.
Sukma 2026 bowling
Selangor's women won the trio and team of five; Penang took the men's trio. Several of the 11 winners are still unconfirmed.
PWBA 2026 review
One title, three runner-up finishes and top-10 earnings for both Malaysians on the PWBA Tour.
World Youth 2026
Adelia Nur and Adania Redzwan ended a 20-year wait for a girls' doubles world title, then added mixed team gold.
KL Open 2026
Rafiq Ismail rolled 2,020 over eight games for a hat-trick; Nur Syazwani Sahar defended the women's title.
PWBA majors 2026
Natasha Roslan and Sin Li Jane both reached title matches at 2026 PWBA majors and both finished second.
Malaysian Open 2026
A third Malaysian Open crown for Rafiq Ismail and a breakthrough title for Qurratu'ain Izdihar.
Rockford Open 2026
Four wins from the bottom seed gave Sin Li Jane the first PWBA title of 2026.
SEA Games 2025
Two golds, one silver and four bronzes put Malaysia first in the Bangkok bowling medal table.
World Championships 2025
A singles silver for youth bowler Adelia Nur headlined Malaysia's four medals in Hong Kong.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Malaysia's top bowler right now?
It depends on the measure. Rafiq Ismail won the Malaysian Open and a third straight KL International Open in 2026, and the ABF calls him the 2025 Asian ranked number one. On the women's side, Sin Li Jane finished third in PWBA points and second in earnings in 2026.
How did Malaysia do at the IBF World Cup?
At the 2025 World Cup in Hong Kong, Natasha Roslan won women's singles gold and the men's team won Malaysia's first men's team title. The 2026 World Cup in Munich runs until 21 October, and we will add it to our Malaysia bowling news once results are confirmed.
Which Malaysian bowlers play on the PWBA Tour?
Sin Li Jane and Natasha Roslan both bowled the 2026 PWBA season. Sin won the Rockford Open and finished runner-up twice, while Natasha reached the USBC Queens final.
When is the next Malaysian Open?
The ABF 2027 calendar lists the 45th Malaysian International Open in Petaling Jaya from 23 May to 6 June 2027. MTBC usually posts entry details on bowling.my a few months before.
Where can I watch Malaysian bowling live?
Live coverage varies by event. For local tournaments, check the MTBC Facebook page and bowling.my. For the PWBA, check pwba.com, and for world events, the IBF site at bowling.sport. Streaming links change from event to event, so verify before each tournament.
Sources
- MTBC (Malaysian Tenpin Bowling Congress)
- MTBC: IBF World Cup 2026 team revealed
- Bowlinglife: IBF World Cup 2026 preview
- PWBA: 2026 PWBA Tour statistics
- ABF: KL International Open 2026 results
- ABF calendar 2027
- DayakDaily: 2027 SEA Games bowling among sports hosted in Sarawak
- Free Malaysia Today: Natasha creates history with first IBF World Cup victory
