• The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is one of the most important tournaments.
• Every tournament brings some of the best players from around the world.

Every T20 World Cup is distinguished by the outstanding batting performances of some of cricket’s greatest players.

Every time the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has been played since it began, a new star has emerged to claim the title of leading run scorer in cricket.

Here is a list of the players who scored the most runs in each T20 World Cup:

Matthew Hayden — 2007

In South Africa’s first tournament, the Australian batter wrecked havoc by hitting the most boundaries (32 fours and 10 sixes) and scoring 265 runs in six games.

Hayden, who had a pattern of being unblemished in run-chases throughout the competition, dominated Bangladesh this time with a score of 73 off 48 balls. He then led Australia to a semifinal match against India with a score of 58 off 38 balls against Sri Lanka.

Tillakaratne Dilshan — 2009

The tournament’s top batter was a Sri Lankan cricketer who also won Player of the Tournament honours.

Big smashes and huge sixes are frequently used to add excitement to T20 cricket, but Dilshan’s skill at seeing openings and audaciously “Dil-scooping” the ball—finding the boundary 50 times—surpassed the second-most players by 18. (Jacques Kallis).

In the semi-final, Dilshan’s 96 not out off 57 balls allowed Sri Lanka, who had gone undefeated through the group stage, secure a spot in the final against Pakistan.

Mahela Jayawardena — 2010

With his 81 off 51 balls against New Zealand in Sri Lanka’s opening game, Jayawardena, an established player in the team’s ranks, made a strong first impression. His efforts were in fruitless, though, as New Zealand won by two wickets.

After that, Sri Lanka’s first and only century of the T20 World Cup was scored by the first batsman against Zimbabwe, who did it in 100 off 64 pitches. Then, against West Indies, he fell just two runs short of scoring another hundred to complete a hat-trick of fifty-plus scores.

Shane Watson — 2012

Watson was the Player of the Tournament in the 2012 T20 World Cup and was at his destructive best throughout.

His performance with the bat remained unaffected despite a hefty workout with the ball. The all-rounder scored 249 runs at 49.80 and a 150 strike rate while opening the batting, including three fifty-plus scores.

His efforts, however, were only enough to help Australia get to the semifinals, where they fell to eventual winner West Indies.

Virat Kohli — 2014

In the 2014 event, India’s legendary batsman Virat Kohli was at the top of his game. The opposition had no answers for Kohli, who proved to be a powerful force.

Kohli scored 319 runs, including four half-centuries, in just six games. His runs were completed at an incredible 106.33 average and a consistent 129.14 strike rate.

Tamim Iqbal — 2016

The Bangladesh southpaw had a memorable campaign that solidified his status as a formidable white-ball hitter. His blade’s fireworks guaranteed Bangladesh’s entry into the tournament’s Super 10 round.

Babar Azam — 2021

class, reliability, and candour. The spectators was mesmerised by Babar’s graceful drives and quick shifts every time he came out to bat.

Azam and Mohammad Rizwan had an unbroken 152-point partnership as they helped Pakistan defeat India for the first time in the T20 World Cup.

The first player went on to hit three further hundreds until Pakistan was eliminated by Australia in a gripping match in the semifinals.

Along with Virat Kohli (2014) and Hayden (2012), Babar holds the record for the most half-centuries (four) in a single edition of the competition (2007).