 "Virat Kohli to Rohit Sharma Top 5 run scorers in T20 World Cup history")
The T20 World Cup took world cricket by storm during its inaugural edition in 2007. India's Virat Kohli has dominated the format since making his debut in the global event in 2012.
Despite not featuring in the first three editions of the T20 World Cup, he is miles ahead of the rest of the batters when it comes to scoring runs in the mega event.
But who are the others apart from Virat who form the top-five run scorers in the history of the T20 World Cup?
Virat Kohli
At the top of the list is Kohli, scoring 1,141 runs in just 27 games at a stupendous average of 81.5. His strike rate of 131 is surely going to improve given the form he is in since the IPL 2024. Kohli is yet to hit a hundred in the tournament though he has hit 14 fifties, the most by any batter.
Mahela Jayawardena
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Second on the list is Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardena. The right-handed batter was truly a different beast in the shortest format, managing to score 1,016 runs in 31 games at an average of 39 and a strike rate of 134.74. Jayawardene is also the only other batter apart from Chris Gayle in the top-five highest scorers list with a century to his name. He hit six fifties.
Chris Gayle
The Universe Boss Chris Gayle comes at the third spot. The Caribbean big hitter amassed 965 runs at an average of 34.46 and a strike rate of 142.75. With two centuries and seven fifties to his name, it is evident that when he scored, he scored big; otherwise, he got out cheaply on most occasions in the 33 matches that he played.
Rohit Sharma
While Gayle has hit the most sixes (63) among the top-five scorers, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has played the most matches (39). Rohit is second on the list of six hitters with 35 maximums to his name as well. At 963 runs, he is sure to get past the 1,000-run mark.
Tillakaratne Dilshan
The man who invented the Dil-Scoop, which is now being modernised by the name of the ramp shot, sits in the fifth spot among the top five run scorers in T20 World Cup history. Dilshan scored 897 runs across six World Cups between 2007 and 2016. His average was 30.93 and his strike rate 124. Dilshan also scored six fifties..
Top-five run scorers in T20 World Cup history
| Player | Span | Mat | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s |
| V Kohli (IND) | 2012-2022 | 27 | 1141 | 89* | 81.5 | 131.3 | 0 | 14 | 103 | 28 |
| DPMD Jayawardene (SL) | 2007-2014 | 31 | 1016 | 100 | 39.07 | 134.74 | 1 | 6 | 111 | 25 |
| CH Gayle (WI) | 2007-2021 | 33 | 965 | 117 | 34.46 | 142.75 | 2 | 7 | 78 | 63 |
| RG Sharma (IND) | 2007-2022 | 39 | 963 | 79* | 34.39 | 127.88 | 0 | 9 | 91 | 35 |
| TM Dilshan (SL) | 2007-2016 | 35 | 897 | 96* | 30.93 | 124.06 | 0 | 6 | 101 | 20 |
Batters who could enter the top-five run-scorers list during T20 World Cup 2024
Many batters, including Australia's David Warner and New Zealand's Kane Williamson, could make their way to the top-five all-time high scorers in T20 World Cup history during the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and the West Indies.
Batters expected to enter the top-five high scorers list
| Player | Span | Mat | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s |
| DA Warner (AUS) | 2009-2022 | 34 | 806 | 89* | 25.18 | 133.22 | 0 | 6 | 86 | 31 |
| JC Buttler (ENG) | 2012-2022 | 27 | 799 | 101* | 42.05 | 144.48 | 1 | 4 | 69 | 33 |
| Shakib Al Hasan (BAN) | 2007-2022 | 36 | 742 | 84 | 23.93 | 122.44 | 0 | 3 | 62 | 23 |
| KS Williamson (NZ) | 2012-2022 | 25 | 699 | 85 | 33.28 | 113.84 | 0 | 3 | 68 | 14 |
| Mohammad Rizwan (PAK) | 2021-2022 | 13 | 456 | 79* | 41.45 | 120 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 15 |
