10 Best Batters in T20 History, Ranked

T20 cricket was first played professionally in 2003. As a result, the list of the best T20 batters of all time exclusively features players from the modern era. 

Given how the game has evolved over the years, my list is also heavily skewed to more recent and active players. The early days of T20 cricket were comparatively simplistic and lacked the strategy that is prominent today.

10 Best Batters in T20 History, Ranked

1. AB De Villiers

AB De Villiers is one of the greatest batters of the modern era. He is one of very few players to truly excel across all three formats, mixing the discipline for Test cricket with the ball-striking and ingenuity for T20s. 

The “Mr. 360” nickname is well-deserved. De Villiers could hit the ball out of the ground in all directions. Just two players have scored more T20 runs at a higher strike rate. 

2. Chris Gayle

The presence of Chris Gayle is enough to make his team among the cricket betting favourites at the BetMGM online sportsbook, whether that’s in the IPL, CPL, or in previous World T20 events. 

Gayle is the all-time leading run scorer in the format, and he has twice as many centuries as any other player in T20 cricket. 

3. Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler led England to the World T20 title in 2022 as captain and was the top scorer during the tournament. It was the crowning moment Buttler’s T20 career deserved after years of destructive innings across various competitions. 

Used as an opener, No. 3, and finisher for significant periods, Buttler has always found a way to excel. He’s scored the seventh-most runs in T20 history and will likely be in the top three before he retires.

4. Kieron Pollard

On statistics alone, Kieron Pollard has an argument for being in the top spot in these rankings. Pollard is second all-time in T20 runs, and his strike rate is the highest of any player in the top 15.

The six-hitting prowess is extraordinary and has often turned matches in the favour of his team. His role is important, but he is less likely to single-handedly win his team a match than Gayle, De Villiers, or Buttler.

5. Glenn Maxwell

Of the top 25 run scorers in T20 history, Glenn Maxwell has the highest strike rate. He has been responsible for some of the most outrageous displays of T20 batting. 

The Big Show is a must-watch cricketer. He’s impossible to set fields to with his array of successful, awkward-looking shots. 

6. Suryakumar Yadav

Maxwell is the only player with more T20 runs at a higher strike rate than Suryakumar Yadav.

A master of scoops and usually teeing off from the first ball, Sky is symbolic of the eruption in T20 strike rates over the last decade. 

7. Andre Russell

No one with more than 4,500 T20 runs has a higher strike rate than Andre Russell. For context, Russell has 9,421 runs in the format. 

Sporadically playing for the West Indies, Russell has been one of the true global stars of T20 cricket for over a decade. 

8. Tim David

An archetypal finisher, Tim David has the second-highest strike rate in T20 history among players with more than 4,500 runs in the format. 

From the BBL to The Blast, from the IPL to the CPL, David has become a popular signing in franchise tournaments for his ability to hit boundaries from his first ball.

9. Phil Salt

Only two players have hit more T20I hundreds than Phil Salt, which is especially remarkable considering he only has 45 caps in the format. 

Russell is the only player with more runs at a higher strike rate. Salt could climb this list in the years to come. 

10. Nicholas Pooran

Like Salt, Nicholas Pooran has four T20 centuries to his name. Pooran has also scored nearly 10,000 runs in the format at a strike rate of almost 150. 

Never playing Test cricket and opting to retire from all international formats in 2024, Pooran has focused on the franchise circuit, which has enabled him to accumulate runs all over the world.

Who Is the Greatest T20 Batter of All Time?

AB De Villiers is the greatest T20 batter of all time due to a combination of a high strike rate, prolific run scoring all over the world, and his ability to hit the ball all over the ground.