In T20 World Cup cricket, bowlers and batsmen both play important roles, but more often than not, the bat steals the stage. The ICC T20 World Cup has seen many runs, fifty-run scores, and centuries since its inaugural competition in 2007. The T20 World Cup’s fastest century was made by Chris Gayle (57 balls, 117), while the West Indies also hit the most sixes (60 total) throughout all editions. Gayle is one of the tournament’s highest run scorers, among other records. Who has scored the most runs in the T20 World Cup, though? The response may surprise you.
Mahela Jayawardene, a former captain of Sri Lanka, is the batsman with the most runs scored in the T20 World Cup. In the T20 World Cup, he has amassed over 1000 runs at a more than respectable average and strike rate. Find out which other cricketers are tied with Gayle for the most runs scored during the T20 World Cup.
Mahela Jayawardene: 1016 runs in 31 innings.
Mahela Jayawardene, a former captain of Sri Lanka and one of the greatest batsmen ever, has scored the most runs in the T20 World Cup. The right-hander, who participated in every season from 2007 to 2014, scored 1016 runs in 31 innings at an average and strike rate of 39.07 and 134.74, respectively. Additionally, he has reached a century and six half-centuries. After the 2014 T20 World Cup, Jayawardene announced his retirement from Twenty20 international cricket, ending a career that saw him average 31.76.
Chris Gayle scored 920 runs in 26 innings.
Chris Gayle, the captain of the West Indies team at the 2009 T20 World Cup, is listed as having scored the second-most runs overall. The powerful hitter has 920 runs in 26 innings at an average of 40 and a strike rate of over 147. The lanky West Indian has practically all T20 batting records. Gayle, who will compete in the 2021 World Cup, has also won the most man-of-the-match awards and sixes in the competition, with five each. The 2021 edition of the tournament might be the 42-year-old’s last game because time is no longer on his side.
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Tillakaratne Dilshan scored 892 runs in 24 innings.
Tillakaratne Dilshan, a former Sri Lankan all-rounder who played his final T20I in September 2016, is the third-highest run scorer in the T20 World Cup with 897 runs in 34 innings at an average and strike rate of 30.93 and 124.06 respectively. With 317 runs at an average of 52.83 and a strike rate of over 145, he was likewise the best run scorer at the 2009 tournament. In the second semi-final of that year, Dilshan’s unbroken 96 helped his nation advance to the final, where they fell to Pakistan. The 44-year-old finished his T20I career with an average strike rate of 28.19 and 120.54 respectively.
Virat Kohli scored 777 runs in 16 innings.
Virat Kohli, the captain of India, is fourth on the list and will step down as skipper of the shortest format following the 2021 T20 World Cup. Kohli, who represented Team India in his maiden T20 World Cup in 2012, has 777 runs in 16 innings with a strike rate of 133.04. The batsman was in top form when the 2016 competition took place; he hit 273 runs in five innings with a strike rate of nearly 147 and was consequently crowned Player of the Series. With 3159 runs at an average of 52.65 and a similarly amazing strike rate of 139.04, Kohli is presently the top run scorer in T20 international competitions.
AB de Villiers scored 717 runs in 29 innings.
AB de Villiers participated in every T20 World Cup from 2007 to 2016, earning 717 runs in 29 innings at a strike rate of 143.40 until declaring his retirement from international competition in May 2018. The 360-degree batsman has also scored five half-centuries in the competition, with his greatest score of an unbeaten 79 coming against Scotland in 2009. De Villiers finished his T20I career with an average of 26.12 and a strike rate of 135.16.
Rohit Sharma scored 673 runs in 25 innings.
Rohit Sharma, who has 673 runs in 25 innings at a strike rate of 127.22, is the second Indian batsman on the list of players with the most runs in the T20 World Cup. With 2864 runs from 111 games, Rohit is the third-highest scorer in T20Is. He needs just 10 more sixes to tie Yuvraj Singh for the most sixes (33) by an Indian batsman at the T20 World Cup. When the seventh iteration of the competition begins in less than two weeks, he will be aiming for this record.
Kumar Sangakkara scored 661 runs in 30 innings.
Kumar Sangakkara, a former wicketkeeper-batsman for Sri Lanka and one of the best cricket players to have ever played, is the seventh batsman on the list of players with the most runs in the T20 World Cup. The southpaw scored 661 runs from 30 innings during the T20 World Cup, including four half-centuries. Sangakkara played his final Twenty20 international match against India in 2014. He is now a coach and commentator. He performs well overall, averaging 31.40 in the format.
Brendon McCullum scored 637 runs in 25 innings.
Brendon McCullum, who participated in every T20 World Cup from 2007 to 2014, is the only batsman from New Zealand to rank among the top ten run scorers in the tournament. McCullum was a tough hitter who amassed 637 runs in 25 innings at a strike rate of 128.42. His 123-run performance against Bangladesh in the 2012 T20 World Cup was the tournament’s high point. After Chris Gayle’s 117 against South Africa in 2007, this score is still the highest in T20 World Cup history.
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Yuvraj Singh scored 593 runs in 28 innings.
Yuvraj Singh set a record at the tournament’s first iteration, and it has never been surpassed. The powerful batsman’s 50 off 12 balls against England still stands as the fastest T20I fifty. From 2007 to 2016, Yuvraj participated in the tournament, amassing 593 runs in 28 innings at a strike rate of nearly 129. Yuvraj declared his retirement from all forms of cricket in June 2019. He played 58 T20I games over the course of his career, averaging 28.02 and striking out at a 136.38 strike rate.
In 15 innings, Kevin Pietersen amassed 580 runs.
Despite having grown up in South Africa, Kevin Pietersen played cricket for England on the international stage. In 2010, England won the competition after defeating Australia in the championship match, and he was recognized as the tournament’s player of the year. The former England captain participated in three of the first three T20 World Cups, recording 580 runs at an average of 44.61 and a strike rate of 148.33. The batsman announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2018 when he was 37 years old. Pietersen’s name continues to appear on the list of players with the highest runs in the T20 World Cup despite a break from international cricket.
