Babar Azam has scored the most runs in T20 international cricket, with 4,596. The Pakistan batter passed Virat Kohli in 2024 and has kept going while the two men above him on the old list stopped playing the format.
Jos Buttler is second on 4,384 and still playing. He went past Rohit on 15 September with 80 against Sri Lanka at Southampton, and added 30 and 62 not out in the next two games of that series. Rohit Sharma is third on 4,231 and Kohli fourth on 4,188, and neither has played a T20 international since 2024. The gap at the top is 212 runs, so the order is not settled.
Most runs in T20 internationals
The 20 leading run-scorers in men’s T20 internationals, complete to 1 October 2026. Source: ESPNcricinfo.
| Rank | Player | Team | Span | Mat | Runs | Ave | SR | 100s/50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Babar Azam | Pakistan | 2016-2026 | 145 | 4596 | 38.94 | 128.02 | 3/39 |
| 2 | Jos Buttler | England | 2011-2026 | 163 | 4384 | 34.79 | 150.13 | 2/30 |
| 3 | Rohit Sharma | India | 2007-2024 | 159 | 4231 | 32.05 | 140.89 | 5/32 |
| 4 | Virat Kohli | India | 2010-2024 | 125 | 4188 | 48.69 | 137.04 | 1/38 |
| 5 | Paul Stirling | Ireland | 2009-2026 | 163 | 3895 | 26.31 | 134.35 | 1/24 |
| 6 | Martin Guptill | New Zealand | 2009-2022 | 122 | 3531 | 31.81 | 135.70 | 2/20 |
| 7 | Virandeep Singh | Malaysia | 2019-2026 | 126 | 3515 | 37.00 | 127.35 | 1/24 |
| 8 | Mohammad Rizwan | Pakistan | 2015-2024 | 106 | 3414 | 47.41 | 125.37 | 1/30 |
| 9 | Muhammad Waseem | United Arab Emirates | 2021-2026 | 99 | 3371 | 36.24 | 150.96 | 3/26 |
| 10 | David Warner | Australia | 2009-2024 | 110 | 3277 | 33.43 | 142.47 | 1/28 |
| 11 | Suryakumar Yadav | India | 2021-2026 | 113 | 3272 | 36.35 | 162.94 | 4/25 |
| 12 | Sikandar Raza | Zimbabwe | 2013-2026 | 144 | 3244 | 25.54 | 135.67 | 1/17 |
| 13 | Syed Aziz | Malaysia | 2019-2026 | 132 | 3183 | 30.60 | 139.48 | 1/24 |
| 14 | Aaron Finch | Australia | 2011-2022 | 103 | 3120 | 34.28 | 142.53 | 2/19 |
| 15 | Quinton de Kock | South Africa | 2012-2026 | 110 | 3095 | 30.95 | 142.23 | 2/19 |
| 16 | Glenn Maxwell | Australia | 2012-2026 | 130 | 2897 | 28.97 | 154.42 | 5/12 |
| 17 | David Miller | South Africa | 2010-2026 | 140 | 2804 | 33.78 | 141.40 | 2/9 |
| 18 | Pathum Nissanka | Sri Lanka | 2021-2026 | 97 | 2784 | 30.59 | 129.18 | 2/19 |
| 19 | Litton Das | Bangladesh | 2015-2026 | 122 | 2702 | 23.49 | 126.79 | 0/16 |
| 20 | Kusal Mendis | Sri Lanka | 2016-2026 | 109 | 2694 | 26.15 | 130.20 | 0/20 |
What the numbers under the runs column say
Virat Kohli has the best average in the top 20, at 48.69, and he did it in 125 matches — 34 fewer than Rohit Sharma and 38 fewer than Jos Buttler. Mohammad Rizwan is the only other man above 45.
Suryakumar Yadav has the highest strike rate, at 162.94, nearly nine runs per hundred balls clear of Glenn Maxwell. Seven of the 20 strike at 142 or better; Babar Azam, at the top of the list, is 17th of the 20 on that measure.
Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell share the most hundreds, with five each. Babar has the most fifties, 39, one ahead of Kohli’s 38.
Three of the 20 play for associate nations: Muhammad Waseem for the United Arab Emirates, and Virandeep Singh and Syed Aziz for Malaysia. India and Australia have three batters each in the list, more than any other country.
Most runs in T20 internationals for India
Rohit Sharma is India’s leading run-scorer in T20 internationals with 4,231, from 159 matches between 2007 and 2024. He and Kohli both finished with the format after the 2024 season, and Suryakumar Yadav is the leading active India batter.
| Rank | Player | Span | Mat | Runs | Ave | SR | 100s/50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rohit Sharma | 2007-2024 | 159 | 4231 | 32.05 | 140.89 | 5/32 |
| 2 | Virat Kohli | 2010-2024 | 125 | 4188 | 48.69 | 137.04 | 1/38 |
| 3 | Suryakumar Yadav | 2021-2026 | 113 | 3272 | 36.35 | 162.94 | 4/25 |
| 4 | Hardik Pandya | 2016-2026 | 138 | 2288 | 28.24 | 145.91 | 0/9 |
| 5 | KL Rahul | 2016-2022 | 72 | 2265 | 37.75 | 139.12 | 2/22 |
| 6 | Abhishek Sharma | 2024-2026 | 60 | 1858 | 32.59 | 194.35 | 3/12 |
| 7 | Shikhar Dhawan | 2011-2021 | 68 | 1759 | 27.92 | 126.36 | 0/11 |
| 8 | Ishan Kishan | 2021-2026 | 59 | 1701 | 29.84 | 145.50 | 1/12 |
Abhishek Sharma’s strike rate of 194.35 is the standout number on that table — more than 50 runs per hundred balls above Rohit’s, from 59 innings. He also holds the highest individual score in T20I cricket by an India batter, 135 against England at the Wankhede in 2025.
Most runs in T20 internationals: quick answers
Who has scored the most runs in T20 internationals? Babar Azam of Pakistan, with 4,596.
Who has scored the most T20I runs for India? Rohit Sharma, with 4,231.
Is Virat Kohli still the leading T20I run-scorer? No. He is fourth on 4,188, and last played a T20 international in 2024. His average of 48.69 is still the best of anyone in the top 20.
Who has the highest strike rate among the leading T20I run-scorers? Suryakumar Yadav, at 162.94.
Who has scored the most T20I hundreds? Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell, with five each among the top 20 run-scorers.
See also our lists of the highest strike rate in T20 cricket and the most sixes in T20 cricket.
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Featured photo: WILLIAM WEST / AFP