T20 World Cup All time Records: Kohli, Shakib & Big Stats

Article Highlights:

• Virat Kohli owns the T20 World Cup run mountain: 1,292 runs. The scarier bit? His 58.72 average makes zero sense in a format built on chaos.

• Shakib Al Hasan’s 50 wickets is the ultimate “I was here for every era” flex, and 2024’s weird pitches helped produce a joint single-edition record: 17 wickets (Arshdeep Singh + Fazalhaq Farooqi).

• The record book isn’t just batting. MS Dhoni’s 32 keeper dismissals and Chris Gayle’s 63 sixes show you where World Cups are actually won: in moments, not spreadsheets.

T20 World Cup all-time records and statistics

If you searched T20 World Cup all-time records and statistics, you probably wanted two things: the big-name “who holds what” answers, and the context that stops those numbers from being meaningless trivia.

So here it is. No fluff. Just the record book, plus what it means in a format where 2007 and 2024 barely look like the same sport.

The record board: quick answers first

Here are the headline records (updated through the last completed men’s tournament in 2024).

Now, let’s talk about why these numbers have stuck.

Batting records: why “most runs” isn’t a boring stat anymore

Virat Kohli most runs T20 World Cup history 1292: the chase cheat code

Yes, Kohli finishes as the all-time top run-getter on 1,292.
But the real “how is that even legal?” part is the average: 58.72. In T20 World Cups, plenty of great openers die by the sword because they’re paid to swing early. Kohli built an entire tournament legacy around staying — absorbing the mad overs, then cashing out later.

That’s also why you’ll see fans argue about “anchors” like it’s a religion. In 2007, a strike rate of 120 could win you games. In 2024, it can get you side-eyed unless the pitch is a minefield. Kohli’s numbers survive both worlds because he didn’t play one gear; he played the situation.

T20 World Cup highest individual score Brendon McCullum: 123 that still hurts

The highest individual score is still Brendon McCullum’s 123 against Bangladesh in 2012.
And the reason it hasn’t fallen isn’t just “no one’s good enough.” It’s that World Cups are stingier than bilaterals. Pressure, unfamiliar grounds, and bowling plans that are built specifically for you. You might get one over of freebies. After that, the whole innings is a negotiation.

McCullum’s hundred was basically a preview of the modern “no sighters” era - the kind of batting that England later made a lifestyle choice.

Chris Gayle: the record book’s chaos merchant

If you want a neat snapshot of peak T20 World Cup energy, it’s Gayle.

• Most sixes (career): 63

• Chris Gayle T20 World Cup centuries record: 2

Here’s what that tells you: Gayle didn’t need 40 balls to get going. He turned the first 12 into a personal audition. And even as strike rates inflated across eras, “63 sixes in World Cups” is still a ridiculous lead because the tournament doesn’t hand you many easy days.

Highest team total: Sri Lanka’s 260/6 is still the “what even happened?” card

Sri Lanka’s 260/6 vs Kenya (2007) remains the highest team total.
And it’s a good reminder that some records are era + opponent + lightning-in-a-bottle. That innings was early-T20 “we’re still discovering gravity” stuff. The modern game is stronger across the board, but World Cups give you fewer mismatches at that level.

Highest chase: England’s 230/8 is the blueprint for panic-free hitting

The highest successful run chase is England’s 230/8 vs South Africa in 2016.
That chase matters because it showed the world you could hunt a monster total without playing like you’re defusing a bomb. It also quietly predicts the post-2020 shift: teams stopped treating 180 like a cliff edge and started treating it like a starting point.

Bowling records: the part of the record book that’s easiest to misread

Shakib Al Hasan most wickets T20 World Cup 50: longevity, skill, and surviving every meta

Shakib’s on 50 wickets across an absurd span of tournaments and conditions.
And that’s the key: World Cups aren’t “pick one skill.” Sometimes you need drift and dip. Sometimes you need stump-to-stump darts. Sometimes you just need to make batters hit to the longest part of the ground while your captain sets a trap.

If 2026 in India/Sri Lanka leans spin-heavy (which it usually does), this record becomes more relevant, not less.

Best bowling figures T20 World Cup all time: Ajantha Mendis’ 6/8, still untouchable

The best match figures are Ajantha Mendis’ 6/8 vs Zimbabwe (2012).
Six-fors in T20 are rare because batters don’t wait around. They either escape or they explode. For a bowler to take six, you need a perfect storm: deception, pressure, and batters making “fine, I’ll just swing” decisions at the worst possible time.

Mendis did it with mystery spin at its peak — the era where people genuinely looked like they were guessing.

2024 was weird, and the stats show it

The 2024 edition was split between sticky, awkward USA surfaces and more normal Caribbean scoring later. That’s why you got a joint tournament wicket record: 17 each for Arshdeep Singh and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
And it’s why “best economy” conversations went wild too — Jasprit Bumrah’s 4.17 economy in 2024 is the sort of number that looks fake when you say it out loud. (icc)

This is the big lesson: in T20, wickets are loud; dot balls are quiet; conditions are everything. When comparing all-time bowling, always ask: where was it played, and what was par that week?

Lowest total isn’t just trivia, it’s proof World Cups can go feral

The lowest team total is 39 (Netherlands vs Sri Lanka, 2014).
That number isn’t about “bad batting.” It’s about what happens when pressure, movement, and a bit of panic collide. World Cups do that. They turn normal mistakes into collapses because there’s no “we’ll fix it next match” comfort.

Fielding and keeping: where tournaments get decided in one heartbeat

MS Dhoni most dismissals wicketkeeper T20 World Cup: the record that tells you how long he lived in games

Dhoni sits on 32 dismissals (21 catches, 11 stumpings).
That record is basically a time capsule of the Dhoni era: quick hands, calm head, and an ability to make spinners look smarter than they are because batters couldn’t risk leaving the crease.

And a quick reality check for people who only look at batting: wicketkeeping impact doesn’t show up in strike rate debates, but it absolutely wins you matches in the middle overs.

Most catches (fielder): David Warner’s 25 is the real “you can’t hide him” stat

Warner leads with 25 catches.
That’s durability + being in the game every ball. It’s also why fielding records age well: eras change, bats change, pitches change — but clean hands under pressure still cash.

The big argument: “Volume vs impact” (and why both matter)

Here’s the trap fans fall into: worshipping totals like they’re sacred, or dismissing them like they’re meaningless.

• Totals (runs, wickets, matches) tell you who survived the grind of multiple tournaments. That’s a skill.

• Peaks (123, 6/8, a 17-wicket edition) tell you who could hijack a World Cup in a week.

• Efficiency (average, economy, strike rate) tells you how modern their game really was.

So yes: Rohit’s 47 matches is a longevity record worth respecting.
And yes: Kohli’s 1,292 is the purest “I solved this format under pressure” scorecard you’ll find.

Both can be true. Cricket’s more fun when we allow that.

Records to watch heading into 2026 (and what might actually fall)

A few records feel safe because they need a perfect storm:

• Mendis’ 6/8 is hard to touch because you need six wickets and a tiny runs column.

• McCullum’s 123 needs a rare “no fear, no mercy, no match-ups working” day.

But others? Very gettable:

• Single-edition wickets (17) can be matched any time conditions go spicy early in a tournament.

• Most catches (25) is the kind of record that falls quietly if a player just keeps being picked for two more cycles.

• Most sixes is basically “play long enough, hit like a truck.” Gayle’s 63 is huge, but not unthinkable in the modern power era.

And the fun one: if 2026 pitches reward spin across India and Sri Lanka, that wicket table could get a shake-up fast.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who has the most runs in T20 World Cup history?

Virat Kohli with 1,292 runs.

Who has the highest individual score in T20 World Cup history?

Brendon McCullum’s 123 against Bangladesh in 2012.

Who has the most wickets in T20 World Cup history?

Shakib Al Hasan with 50 wickets.

What are the best bowling figures in T20 World Cup history?

Ajantha Mendis’ 6/8 vs Zimbabwe in 2012.

Who holds the wicketkeeper dismissals record?

MS Dhoni with 32 dismissals.

The bottom line

The T20 World Cup record book isn’t just “top 10 lists.” It’s a timeline of how the format keeps mutating.

Kohli’s 1,292 is the gold standard for surviving pressure.
Shakib’s 50 is the gold standard for staying relevant across eras.
And every time a new World Cup rolls around, one question decides whether records hold or fall:

Are we playing on a wicket where skill matters… or one where panic spreads?