Best T20 Batsman of All Time – The Ultimate Ranking

Known by his nickname, “The Universe Boss,” Chris Gayle is one of the most destructive batters in the cricket world. The left-handed batter used to be one of the lethal ball-strikers of the cricket ball during his days. Having made his international debut against India in Toronto in 1999, Gayle wasn’t known for the basher he is now renowned for. The southpaw struck strong scores at the early stages of his career to cement his spot before the T20 format unveiled Gayle’s raw talent to muscle the cricket ball. 

Gayle was picked by the Kolkata Knight Riders for the inaugural IPL season but missed the season. However, he featured for the side in the next couple of seasons, returning with mediocre numbers. The next season, he failed to attract bidders during the mega auction before RCB roped him in as an injury replacement player. This marked the start of Gayle’s domination in the T20 format. He went berserk against any bowlers, smashing to all parts of the field and racking up centuries in fun. He also represented the West Indies and won the T20 World Cup in 2012 and 2014. 

Gayle concluded his career with a gargantuan of 14562 runs from 463 matches at an average of 36.22. His strike rate read 144.75. The swashbuckler’s unbridled 175 against Rising Pune Super Giants in IPL 2013 is still the highest T20 score by an individual in the history of T20 cricket. 

Another power-hitter from the Caribbean islands, Kieron Pollard had quite the reputation to tonk the ball at the initial stages of his cricketing career. Having witnessed his raw talent, Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, and Kolkata Knight Riders were the three franchises that showed interest in the Trinidadian ahead of the third season. Eventually, the Mumbai side offered a higher secret bid value than the other two franchises to have his services for over a decade. 

In his 18-year-old T20 career, Pollard has smashed as many as 13537 runs at a strike rate of just over 150. Although he has scored a lone century in the format, his contribution to his respective teams has more to do with than mere numbers. With time, Pollard became one of the best finishers in the format. He has won ample matches for the Mumbai Indians and made a major contribution to their five titles between 2013 and 2020. 

Apart from hitting gigantic sixes and finishing games, Pollard was a wily operator with his medium pace and a tremendous fielder at the edge of the circle. He also had a great understanding of the game, having led West Indies in the white ball format. Although the three-dimensional star has retired from the international realm, he is a regular face in some of the renowned T20 franchise leagues around the world including the SA20, Caribbean League T20, and Major League T20, among others.

Although a controversial cricketer, Alex Hales has tasted quite the success in the T20 format. Made his debut in 2013, Hales was the first English cricketer to smash a century in T20Is – an unbridled 116 against Sri Lanka in the 2014 World T20. It took him three years to make his ODI debut for the Three Lions. However, he never got the continued run in the format with ‘mistrust’ being one of the reasons.

A month before the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England, Hales underwent a failed recreational drugs test which displeased then-captain Eoin Morgan. As a result, he missed out on the bus to their World Cup-winning squad. However, he was recalled for the T20 World Cup 2022 under Jos Buttler’s rein, filling the shoes of Jonny Bairstow, who injured himself on the golf course. 

Hales went on to knit a match-defining 47-ball 86* against India in the semi-finals, laying the foundation for a World Cup victory in Australia. Hales is also a go-to name in numerous franchise leagues having racked up 13610 runs at a strike rate of 145.28.

Popularly known as “The Bull” or “The Reverend,” David Warner was a regular name featuring in Australian colours between 2009 and 2024. He was one of the consistent performers for the side be it any format of the game. One of the unique aspects about Warner was that he came into the national side without much domestic experience. This speaks volumes about the batter’s talent. 

At the initial phase of his career, Warner was more of a swashbuckling opening batter who used to make the most out of the new ball. As the dust settled, he his game matured, earning him the captaincy hat for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. Warner went on to lead the Orange Army to their only IPL title in 2016, which was also a season where he mustered 848 runs in 17 innings. If not for Virat Kohli’s purple patch, he would’ve won the Orange cap for the season.

Warner, who played 399 T20s so far, has scored 12913 runs at an average of 37 with a strike rate reading 140.23. In this format, he has smashed as many as 108 fifties and eight centuries. Warner retired from International cricket after the T20 World Cup 2024 but continues to ply his trade in the franchise tournaments.

One of the clean strikers of the cricket ball in recent times, Jos Buttler came into the England setup with plenty of promise. Safe to say, he delivered as per the expectations, all but with grace. Although the wicketkeeper-batter started his career as a middle-order batter, his best came at the top-order where he scored the bulk of the runs. 

Despite featuring in 57 Tests, the Lancashire batter’s best came in the white ball format. He even captained the Three Lions after Eoin Morgan’s departure. Under his leadership, England won the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, extending their dominance after a triumphant fifty-over World Cup in 2019. He has also tasted quite success in T20 leagues, featuring for the Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, and Gujarat Titans in the IPL. He is also a regular face for the Manchester Originals setup in the Men’s Hundred.

One of the T20 legends from the shores of Pakistan, Shoaib Malik was a genuine all-rounder who could bat in the middle-order and bowl right-arm finger spin. Having made his International debut in the late 90s, Malik was a full-timer in Pakistan’s ODI setup until the emergence of T20. One of the best parts of Malik was his ability to turn up with his skills at the need of the hour. 

Malik was one of the rare positives from the Men in Green’s poor campaign in Cricket World Cup 2007 where they were knocked out in the group stages after facing a horrendous defeat against Ireland. Subsequently, the all-rounder led his nation for quite some time before being a part of the T20 World Cup-winning side in 2009. 

At the cue end of his career, Malik was a regular name in popular franchise tourneys having played a part in the Pakistan Super League, Caribbean Premier League, Global T20 League, Lanka Premier League, Mzansi Super League, and Big Bash League, among others.

One of the best in the business when it comes to striking the ball with sheer timing, Virat Kohli is a modern-day legend. Known to be a generational batter and one-fourth of the modern fab-four in the cricketing universe, Kohli left no stone unturned in the T20 format. 

Having made his debut in 2009, Kohli came into the limelight during the early 2010s. With a hunger to score runs, backed by undying consistency with the willow, Kohli served the cricketing fans with his batting genius. The Delhi-born not only dominated the bowlers at home but also in overseas conditions. His knack for chasing totals seamlessly earned him the reputation of a ‘chase master’ in the game. 

Apart from his batting success in the red-ball format and ODIs, he reached newer heights in the T20 format. Despite a worrisome lean patch post-COVID, Kohli bounced back in style, extracting loads of runs across formats that included his 71st century against Afghanistan during the 2022 Asia Cup.

Kohli has been equally successful in the IPL, scoring in abundance for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, earning the Orange cap in 2016 and 2024. 

One of the finest pullers and hookers of the cricket ball, Rohit Sharma was a name that attracted eyeballs in the early phase of his career. Mumbai Cricket Association has always been known for its rising cricketers and Rohit was one of their best products. 

The Hitman of Cricket has an affinity for hitting big sixes and his T20 numbers are just a reflection of that. Having smoked 205 sixes in 159 T20Is, he is leading the chart of most sixes in international T20s. The next best is Martin Guptill – 173 sixes – not even near Rohit’s tally. 

However, Rohit failed to transcend his rich vein of T20 numbers in the IPL arena. But it does not make him a bad T20 cricketer. He has also captained the Indian side and led them to a T20 World Cup title in the USA and the Caribbean islands in 2024, breaching an eleven-year-old ICC title drought for India. The right-handed batter followed it up by leading the Men in Blue to their second Champions Trophy win in 2025.

A left-handed batter who struck a lot of centuries at the start of his international career, Colin Munro is a lost batter when it comes to T20Is. However, this does not mean he gave up on the franchise tournaments. The southpaw has represented numerous cricketing franchises across popular leagues such as the Big Bash League, Caribbean Premier League, Pakistan Super League, T20 Blast, etc. 

Munro has scored 68 half-centuries in T20s across 435 innings, having clobbered 11066 runs at a strike rate of 140.50.  Currently, he is a freelancer donning the hat around the globe in numerous franchise tournaments.