In the action-packed T20I format, giving an explosive start is of utmost importance to set the momentum of the innings. Teams that have aggressive and fearless batters in their lineup have a significant advantage in posting huge totals.
Such batters are either hard-hitting openers or top-order pinch-hitters who unleash their wrath in powerplay overs. The field restrictions in the powerplay overs give batters the license to hit hard from the first ball.
Many batters have accumulated lots of runs by just scoring quickly in the powerplay overs. Here are the top 10 batters with the most overall runs in powerplay over in T20Is.
Most Runs by a Batter in Powerplay in T20I (Overall)
| Player | Innings | Runs in PP | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma (IND) | 128 | 2141 | 133.22 |
| Quinton de Kock (SA) | 93 | 1674 | 143.32 |
| Martin Guptill (NZ) | 95 | 1630 | 125.77 |
| Babar Azam (PAK) | 116 | 1610 | 117.43 |
| Aaron Finch (AUS) | 94 | 1601 | 136.95 |
| Jos Buttler (ENG) | 78 | 1528 | 153.72 |
| Litton Das (BAN) | 106 | 1513 | 130.88 |
| David Warner (AUS) | 91 | 1503 | 137.38 |
| Mohammad Rizwan (PAK) | 84 | 1460 | 116.42 |
| Reeza Hendricks (SA) | 86 | 1262 | 122.52 |
Key Insights on Powerplay Run-Scoring in T20Is
Leading T20I Powerplay Run Scorers and Milestone Accumulation
Rohit Sharma has scored the most runs in powerplay overs in T20Is. The fiery Indian opener accumulated 2141 runs in 128 innings at a strike rate of 133.22.
2104 of Rohit’s powerplay runs came while opening for India, the most by an opener in this phase in T20Is.
Virat Kohli and Mitchell Marsh are the two No. 3 batters who’ve aggregated 500-plus runs in the powerplay overs in T20Is.
Rohit faced 1607 balls in the powerplay, the most by any batter in this phase in T20Is.
High-Impact Powerplay Strike Rates and Boundary Hitting
Rohit Sharma, the first to 200 sixes in the shortest format, has smashed 94 sixes alone in the powerplay overs. This is the most sixes hit by a batter in the initial six overs in T20Is.
Rohit is also one of the three batters, along with Babar Azam and Quinton de Kock, to hit more than 200 fours in T20I powerplays.
England’s Phil Salt is the only batter to have a strike rate of above 160 in powerplay in T20I cricket (minimum 500 balls faced).
Likewise, the UAE’s Muhammad Waseem is the only batter to average 60-plus in this phase (minimum 40 innings). (Check out the openers with the highest average in T20Is here.)
Single Innings Powerplay Dominance
Turkey’s Muhammad Fahad has scored the most runs in the powerplay in a T20I innings. He smashed 93 runs from 24 balls against Bulgaria in the 2025 Sofia T20I.
Fahad laced his powerplay knock with 10 sixes, the most by a batter in the powerplay in a T20I innings.
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