The Numbers That Define T20 Greatness
Batting average in T20 cricket carries a different weight than in Test or ODI formats. In a game where batters are expected to attack from ball one, maintaining a high average across hundreds of innings signals something beyond mere accumulation — it reveals the ability to stay not out in chases, anchor an innings under pressure, and convert starts into match-defining knocks.
The all-time T20 batting average leaderboard — spanning internationals, franchise leagues, and domestic competitions worldwide — produces a fascinating mix of household names and less-expected entrants. A minimum of 20 dismissals qualifies a batter for the list, ensuring statistical significance while filtering out players with inflated averages from tiny sample sizes.
The All-Time T20 Batting Average Leaderboard
| Rank | Player | Primary Teams | T20 Matches | Runs | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karanbir Singh | Austria | 44 | 2,141 | 54.90 |
| 2 | B Sai Sudharsan | Gujarat Titans, India | 57 | 2,515 | 48.37 |
| 3 | Sohail Ahmed | Bahrain | 72 | 1,879 | 42.70 |
| 4 | KL Rahul | India, LSG, DC, PBKS | 216 | 7,977 | 42.66 |
| 5 | Ellyse Perry | Australia, Sydney Sixers, RCB | 308 | 8,315 | 42.64 |
| 6 | Virat Kohli | India, RCB | 389 | 13,315 | 42.54 |
| 7 | Beth Mooney | Australia, Brisbane Heat | 304 | 10,208 | 42.36 |
| 8 | Mohammad Rizwan | Pakistan, Multan Sultans | 223 | 7,527 | 42.29 |
| 9 | Nat Sciver-Brunt | England, Trent Rockets, MI | 111 | 3,538 | 41.62 |
| 10 | Babar Azam | Pakistan, Peshawar Zalmi | 288 | 10,314 | 41.42 |
| 11 | Tilak Varma | India, Mumbai Indians | 110 | 3,222 | 39.29 |
| 12 | SR Hain | Hobart Hurricanes, Trent Rockets | 162 | 4,856 | 39.16 |
| 13 | Ruturaj Gaikwad | India, Chennai Super Kings | 104 | 3,472 | 38.58 |
| 14 | David Warner | Australia, SRH, DC | 365 | 12,227 | 38.09 |
| 15 | JP Duminy | South Africa, MI, Delhi | 175 | 4,451 | 38.04 |
| 16 | MS Dhoni | India, Chennai Super Kings | 323 | 7,023 | 37.96 |
| 17 | Shaun Marsh | Australia, KXIP, Perth Scorchers | 177 | 5,946 | 37.87 |
| 18 | Shubman Gill | India, GT, KKR | 165 | 5,444 | 37.81 |
| 19 | Devon Conway | New Zealand, CSK | 135 | 4,194 | 37.45 |
The Names at the Top
Karanbir Singh's 54.90 average across 44 T20 matches for Austria sits at the summit — a testament to dominance in European cricket that rarely enters mainstream conversation. His 2,141 runs come at a rate that even the format's biggest names have not matched. Sai Sudharsan's 48.37 in 57 matches places the Gujarat Titans batter second, a reflection of the young Indian left-hander's remarkable consistency across IPL and domestic T20 cricket.
The third entry, Bahrain's Sohail Ahmed at 42.70 from 72 matches, reinforces a pattern: the batting average metric in T20 cricket rewards players who bat deep, stay not out frequently, and operate in formats where declared innings do not exist. Associate nations with strong individual performers can produce averages that rival or exceed those of full-member superstars.
The Elite Tier — 42-Plus Club
From fourth to tenth on the leaderboard, the names read like a who's who of modern T20 batting across genders and nations.
[KL Rahul](/cricket/players/kl-rahul) at 42.66 across 216 matches and 7,977 runs is the highest-ranked Indian men's batter. Rahul's T20 career spans international duty, multiple IPL franchises — Kings XI Punjab, Lucknow Super Giants, Delhi Capitals, and others — and a playing style built on controlled aggression. His ability to anchor an innings while accelerating through the middle overs has kept his average consistently above 40 across a career that now exceeds 200 T20 appearances.
[Ellyse Perry](/cricket/players/ea-perry) at 42.64 across 308 matches is the highest-ranked women's cricketer on the combined list. Perry's 8,315 T20 runs span Australian internationals, the WBBL with Sydney Sixers, the Hundred with Birmingham Phoenix, and the WPL with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Her versatility as an all-rounder — elite with both bat and ball — makes this batting average all the more remarkable; she bats in positions that demand responsibility, not reckless hitting.
[Virat Kohli](/cricket/players/v-kohli) at 42.54 holds the record for the most T20 runs by any batter in history: 13,315 across 389 matches. That he maintains an average above 42 at that volume is extraordinary. Kohli's T20 career spans India internationals and a lifelong association with Royal Challengers Bangalore/Bengaluru. No other batter on this list has combined such volume with such consistency — the closest is David Warner at 12,227 runs, but Warner's average drops to 38.09.
[Beth Mooney](/cricket/players/bl-mooney) at 42.36 across 304 matches and 10,208 runs is one of only two batters on this list — alongside Kohli and Babar Azam — to cross the 10,000-run threshold. The Australian opener's record across WBBL, internationals, and the Hundred places her among the most prolific T20 run-scorers in history regardless of gender.
[Mohammad Rizwan](/cricket/players/mohammad-rizwan) at 42.29 and [Babar Azam](/cricket/players/babar-azam) at 41.42 give Pakistan two entries in the top ten. Rizwan's 7,527 runs from 223 matches reflect his role as Pakistan's anchor across internationals, the PSL with Multan Sultans, and franchise stints in Australia, England, and Bangladesh. Babar's 10,314 runs across 288 matches make him one of only three batters on this list with five-figure T20 run totals.
The Women's Game — Three Entries in the Top Ten
The combined leaderboard is notable for including three women's cricketers in the top ten: Perry (5th), Mooney (7th), and [Nat Sciver-Brunt](/cricket/players/nr-sciver-brunt) (9th, 41.62 average across 111 matches). This reflects both the quality of women's T20 batting and the statistical reality that the women's game — with shorter franchise seasons and fewer matches — can produce averages that compete with or exceed men's figures. Sciver-Brunt's 3,538 runs across England duty, the Hundred, WBBL, and WPL demonstrate a batter who rarely fails at any level.
Volume vs. Average — The Format's Central Tension
T20 batting average rewards two things that exist in tension: scoring runs and not getting out. The format demands boundary-hitting and risk-taking, which naturally lowers averages compared to Test cricket. Any T20 average above 35 across 100+ matches represents elite consistency.
The leaderboard makes this tension visible. Kohli's 13,315 runs at 42.54 represent the gold standard of volume-plus-average. Warner's 12,227 at 38.09 show what happens when a similarly aggressive batter plays a comparable number of matches — the average dips below 40 but the run tally remains enormous. At the other end, Sai Sudharsan's 48.37 from 57 matches and Tilak Varma's 39.29 from 110 matches represent younger batters whose averages may settle as sample sizes grow.
The not-out factor is significant. Batters who frequently bat at number three or four in T20 cricket — and regularly finish innings unbeaten in successful chases — accumulate not-outs that inflate their average. This is not a flaw in the statistic; it is the statistic doing exactly what it should, rewarding batters who finish the job.
The Next Generation
[Tilak Varma](/cricket/players/tilak-varma) (39.29, 110 matches, 3,222 runs) and [Shubman Gill](/cricket/players/shubman-gill) (37.81, 165 matches, 5,444 runs) represent India's next wave. Both are under 25, both bat in the top four, and both have the trajectory to push into the 40-plus bracket as their careers mature. [Ruturaj Gaikwad](/cricket/players/rd-gaikwad) (38.58, 104 matches) adds a third young Indian name in the top 15 — all three primarily associated with IPL franchises where they have been centerpieces of their batting orders.
[Devon Conway](/cricket/players/dp-conway) (37.45, 135 matches) rounds out the top 20 — the New Zealand opener's stints with Chennai Super Kings, Islamabad United, and Joburg Super Kings have built a globe-spanning T20 career.
What the Leaderboard Reveals
Three patterns stand out across the top 20:
- Franchise cricket drives volume. The highest match counts belong to players active in multiple franchise leagues — Kohli (389), Warner (365), Perry (308), Mooney (304), Babar (288). A batter playing only internationals cannot accumulate enough innings to appear on this list.
- Women's T20 averages compete directly with men's. Perry, Mooney, and Sciver-Brunt are not in a separate category — they sit inside the top ten on a combined leaderboard, a statistical reality that challenges any assumption about the gap between men's and women's T20 batting.
- Associate nations produce outliers. Karanbir Singh (Austria) and Sohail Ahmed (Bahrain) demonstrate that dominance within a smaller talent pool can yield averages that full-member stars cannot match — though the context of those runs is fundamentally different.
The all-time T20 batting average leaderboard is not a simple ranking of the best T20 batters ever. It is a lens that rewards consistency, the ability to stay not out, and participation across the global franchise ecosystem. The names at the top — from Kohli to Perry to Rizwan — have earned their place through thousands of deliveries faced in dozens of competitions across multiple continents.
FAQ
Who has the best T20 batting average of all time?
Among all cricketers with at least 20 dismissals in T20 cricket, Austria's Karanbir Singh holds the highest average at 54.90 from 44 matches. Among players from full-member nations, KL Rahul leads at 42.66 across 216 matches.
What is Virat Kohli's T20 batting average?
Virat Kohli averages 42.54 across 389 T20 matches — the most matches of any batter on the all-time list. His 13,315 runs are the highest T20 run tally in history.
Which women's cricketers have the best T20 batting average?
Ellyse Perry leads with 42.64 across 308 matches, followed by Beth Mooney at 42.36 (304 matches) and Nat Sciver-Brunt at 41.62 (111 matches). All three rank inside the combined all-gender top ten.
How does Babar Azam's T20 average compare to Virat Kohli's?
Babar Azam averages 41.42 across 288 T20 matches with 10,314 runs. Kohli averages slightly higher at 42.54 but across 101 more matches and with 3,001 more runs. Both are among only three batters to surpass 10,000 T20 runs.