Top 10 Run Scorers in T20 Cricket

Who Are the Top 10 Run Scorers in T20 Cricket?

The top 10 run scorers in T20 Internationals are led by Pakistan’s Babar Azam, who has 4,596 runs. England’s Jos Buttler is second with 4,384, and India’s Rohit Sharma is third with 4,231. This list covers men’s T20I matches between national teams and is current as of October 2026.

Want to see how today’s best T20 batters are rated? Read our guide to the ICC cricket ranking system.

Quick Facts About T20I Run-Scoring Records

Here are the key numbers behind the list:

• Most T20I runs: Babar Azam (4,596)
• Most T20I fifties: Babar Azam (39)
• Most T20I hundreds: Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell (5 each)
• Best average in the top 10: Virat Kohli (48.69)
• Players with 4,000+ runs: Four (Babar Azam, Jos Buttler, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli)
• Retired from T20Is: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and David Warner
• Data as of: October 2026

Top 10 Run Scorers in T20 Cricket: Full List

Here are the ten batters with the most runs in men’s T20 Internationals:

• 1. Babar Azam (Pakistan): 4,596 runs in 145 matches, with 3 hundreds and 39 fifties. His average is 38.94, and his highest score is 122. He holds the records for most T20I runs and most T20I fifties.
• 2. Jos Buttler (England): 4,384 runs in 163 matches, with 2 hundreds and 30 fifties. His average is 34.79, and his highest score is 131. He is England’s leading T20I run scorer and moved past Rohit Sharma into second place in September 2026.
• 3. Rohit Sharma (India): 4,231 runs in 159 matches, with 5 hundreds and 32 fifties. His highest score is 121 not out. He shares the record for most T20I hundreds and retired from T20Is after India’s 2024 T20 World Cup win.
• 4. Virat Kohli (India): 4,188 runs in 125 matches, with 1 hundred and 38 fifties. His average of 48.69 is the best in this top 10, and his highest score is 122 not out. He also retired from T20Is after the 2024 T20 World Cup.
• 5. Paul Stirling (Ireland): 3,895 runs in 163 matches, with 1 hundred and 24 fifties. His highest score is 115 not out, and he is Ireland’s leading T20I run scorer.
• 6. Martin Guptill (New Zealand): 3,531 runs in 122 matches, with 2 hundreds and 20 fifties. His highest score is 105, and he is New Zealand’s leading T20I run scorer.
• 7. Virandeep Singh (Malaysia): 3,515 runs in 126 matches, with 1 hundred and 24 fifties. His average is 37.00, and his highest score is 116 not out. Malaysia is an ICC Associate member.
• 8. Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan): 3,414 runs in 106 matches, with 1 hundred and 30 fifties. His average of 47.41 is the second best in this top 10, and his highest score is 104 not out.
• 9. Muhammad Waseem (United Arab Emirates): 3,371 runs in 99 matches, with 3 hundreds and 26 fifties. His average is 36.24, and his highest score is 112. The UAE is an ICC Associate member.
• 10. David Warner (Australia): 3,277 runs in 110 matches, with 1 hundred and 28 fifties. His highest score is 100 not out, and he has retired from international cricket.

Just outside the list is India’s Suryakumar Yadav, who has 3,272 runs, only five behind Warner.

Top 10 Run Scorers in T20 Cricket by Country

Eight countries share the top 10, and India and Pakistan have two places each:

• India: Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
• Pakistan: Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan
• England: Jos Buttler
• Ireland: Paul Stirling
• New Zealand: Martin Guptill
• Malaysia: Virandeep Singh
• United Arab Emirates: Muhammad Waseem
• Australia: David Warner

Two of the ten come from Associate nations, because players from teams such as Malaysia and the UAE play many more T20Is than they do in other formats.

Can Anyone Pass Babar Azam’s T20I Run Record?

Babar Azam leads Jos Buttler by 212 runs, so the top spot is within reach. Buttler is still playing for England and is the nearest challenger, which means the record could change hands in the next year or two. That depends on how many T20Is each player gets and how they score.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retired from T20Is, so their totals are now fixed at 4,231 and 4,188. Both finished with fewer runs than Babar and Buttler.

For the other formats, see our lists of the top 10 run scorers in ODI cricket and the top 10 run scorers in Test cricket.

T20 Internationals vs All T20 Cricket

This list counts only T20 Internationals. It does not include franchise leagues such as the IPL. If you count all T20 cricket together, including leagues, Jos Buttler became the first player to pass 15,000 career T20 runs in September 2026. The league totals change often, so they are not part of this top 10.

Why the Numbers Can Look Different Online

You may see small differences between websites. This happens for two reasons:

• Active players keep adding runs, so a site that updates late will show an older total. Older pages may still list Babar Azam or Jos Buttler with fewer runs.
• Some pages mix T20I runs with all T20 runs from leagues, so always check that the list is for T20 Internationals and look for the “as of” date.

For the latest figures, check the international T20 most career runs list from the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. For combined T20 totals including leagues, see the ESPNcricinfo list of most runs in T20 matches.

The Final Answer: Top 10 Run Scorers in T20 Cricket

To sum up, the top 10 run scorers in T20 Internationals are Babar Azam, Jos Buttler, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Paul Stirling, Martin Guptill, Virandeep Singh, Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Waseem and David Warner. Babar leads with 4,596 runs, and Buttler is only 212 behind. Several players on this list are still playing, so expect the order to keep changing.