Hyderabad: With the advent of T20 cricket and the sport being tilted in the favour of the batters, playing big hits isn't an unusual occurrence anymore. They go gung-ho right from the start and so the 200-plus totals are a new normal in the shortest format of the game. As the T20 World Cup 2024 is set to kick off on June 2, batters will play a key role with their run-scoring ability. Ahead of the competition, we take a look at the top five batters who have score the most runs in the history of the coveted tournament.
Virat Kohli
India's star batter Virat Kohli holds the record for scoring the most runs in the T20 World Cups along with having other records registered to his name. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter has amassed 1,141 runs so far from 27 matches which include 14 half-centuries. His run tally in the tournament also includes 103 boundaries and 28 sixes. Kohli has scored 112 runs with an average of 37.33 and a strike rate of 141.77 in the West Indies while he has notched 63 runs from four matches in the USA. India will be hoping him to continue his form from the recently concluded Indian Premier League 2024. This might be the last World Cup for the Indian duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Mahela Jayawardene
The Sri Lankan batter has scored 1,016 runs from 31 games which includes one century and six half-centuries. Also, his tally includes 111 boundaries and 35 sixes. Jayawardene played a crucial role in the middle order for the national side. He was part of the 2014 T20 World-Cup winning side. Notably, he retired from the format after the final of the 2014 edition against India.
Chris Gayle
The Caribbean giant is a two-time world champion as he was part of the T20 World Cup-winning team in 2012 and 2016. He has racked up 965 runs from 33 matches with two tons and seven half-centuries. His tally includes 78 fours and 63 sixes. Gayle was one of the fearsome batters in the T20Is and he has multiple records to his name. He has smacked most sixes in T20 cricket (1,056).
Rohit Sharma
The current Indian skipper is fourth in the list of batters scoring most number of runs in the T20 World Cups. He has racked up 963 runs across 39 matches which includes nine fifties. His tally in the tournament includes 91 boundaries and 35 sixes. He has smacked 190 maximums in T20Is which is the highest. Also, Rohit is placed third on the list of batters scoring the most runs in T20 internationals and he will be fighting to overtake Pakistan batter Babar Azam and his team-mate Virat Kohli in that list.
Tilakratne Dilshan
Former Sri Lanka cricketer Tilakratne Dilshan is fifth in the list of batters scoring the most runs in the history of the tournament. He has scored 897 runs from 35 fixtures which includes six fifties. He has hit 101 fours and 20 maximums in the tally. Dilshan was a member of the T20 World Cup-winning side in 2012.
