Game-changers and record-makers in T20 WC

Cricket’s biggest T20I party started in 2007, which was won by Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led India in Johannesburg after they defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in a final-over thriller by five runs.

Since that inaugural event, there have been seven further editions of the tournament, held in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2021, and 2022.

With the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 fast approaching, we take a look at some of the key stats, covering all the editions of the showcase tournament so far.

Players to have featured in all editions of the Men’s T20 World Cups so far:

Player	T20 World Cup appearances
Shakib Al Hasan (BAN)	2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2021, 2022
Rohit Sharma (IND)	2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2021, 2022

India’s T20I captain Rohit Sharma is set to lead the side in the upcoming tournament in West Indies and USA, making his record ninth appearance in the tournament. He will be joined by Bangladesh’s star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who is the only other player in the list to have featured in all the editions of the event.

The Tigers are yet to announce their 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, and should Shakib be selected, he would join Rohit as the only players to have competed in every T20 World Cup, sharing that honour.

Most appearances in Men’s T20 World Cup history:

Player	No. of Matches
Rohit Sharma (IND)	39
Shakib Al Hasan (BAN)	36
Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL)	35
Dwayne Bravo (WI), Shahid Afridi (PAK), Shoaib Malik (PAK), David Warner (AUS)	34

Another record that belongs to India’s Rohit – the most number of Men’s T20 World Cup matches with 39 games under his belt. Following closely behind him is Shakib with 36 appearances.

Among the active players, next on the list is David Warner, the Aussie opener, who is poised to climb higher in the upcoming edition. As the competition intensifies, changes to this leaderboard are expected in the tournament to come.

Highest run-scorers at the tournament:

Player	Runs scored
Virat Kohli (IND)	1141
Mahela Jayawardena (SL)	1016
Chris Gayle (WI)	965
Rohit Sharma (IND)	963
Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL)	897

India superstar Virat Kohli tops the list for the most runs in T20 World Cups, accounting for 1141 runs in five editions. He was the highest run-getter in the 2014 edition with 319 runs in six matches – the highest by any batter in a single Men’s T20 World Cup.

Kohli is currently in exceptional form in the ongoing Indian Premier League, leading the run-scorers chart with more than 500 runs. If the battling stalwart maintains this rich vein of form in the upcoming tournament, he will elevate his tally to another level.

Another active player on this elite list is Kohli’s teammate and India captain, Rohit. The opening batter is not very far behind Kohli, sitting in fourth spot with 963 runs. A series of explosive innings from him could propel him to a higher rank on this list.

Highest wicket-takers at the tournament:

Player	Wickets
Shakib Al Hasan (BAN)	47
Shahid Afridi (PAK)	39
Lasith Malinga (SL)	38
Saeed Ajmal (PAK)	36
Ajantha Mendis (SL) Umar Gul (PAK)	35

Among the top five wicket-takers, which mainly consists of four spin-bowling experts, Bangladesh’s left-arm spinner Shakib holds a substantial lead. He is the sole active player within this elite group and will feature in the upcoming tournament in June after being announced in the squad. Three more scalps will take his tally to a remarkable 50 T20 World Cup wickets.

Sri Lanka’s former pace sensation Lasith Malinga is the only pacer in this top five, sitting in the third spot with 38 scalps.