Indian batting great Virat Kohli scored 69 runs off 38 balls in the opening game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, helping his side chase a total of 202 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
With this, the legendary batter surpassed former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik to become the sixth-highest run-scorer in T20 cricket history across all competitions.
The right-handed batter has accumulated 13,412 runs in 398 innings, overtaking Shoaib Malik’s total of 13,360 runs, which was achieved in 515 innings before his retirement.
Among the leading run-scorers, Chris Gayle holds the top position with 14,562 runs in T20 cricket across international and franchise competitions over his career.
West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard ranks second with 13,821 runs, followed by England batter Alex Hales with 13,744 runs in the all-time standings.
Former Australia opening batter David Warner occupies fourth place with 13,663 runs, while England batter Jos Buttler stands fifth with 13,545 runs in T20 cricket history.
Kohli currently holds the highest batting average among the top ten players, maintaining an average above 42 alongside a strike rate exceeding 134 in his career.
| Batter | Country | Runs | Innings | Average | Strike Rate | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Gayle | West Indies | 14,562 | 455 | 36.22 | 144.75 | 22 | 88 |
| Kieron Pollard | West Indies | 14,482 | 652 | 31.62 | 150.96 | 1 | 67 |
| Alex Hales | England | 14,449 | 523 | 29.91 | 144.51 | 7 | 92 |
| David Warner | Australia | 14,063 | 432 | 37.10 | 140.68 | 10 | 115 |
| Jos Buttler | England | 13,845 | 464 | 34.96 | 146.16 | 8 | 98 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 13,612 | 398 | 42.14 | 134.85 | 9 | 106 |
| Shoaib Malik | Pakistan | 13,571 | 515 | 35.99 | 127.24 | 0 | 83 |
