Highest totals in T20 cricket: Sunrisers Hyderabad enter the list

Here is a glance at the highest totals in T20 cricket. The match between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) took down multiple records. The Sunrisers broke an 11-year-old record of the highest team total in the history of the T20 league, going past Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) 263 against Pune Warriors.

The encounter also witnessed the highest aggregate ever in a T20 match (523). It was also the 5th instance when over 500 runs were scored in a T20 match. Also, a record 38 sixes were hit during the match. After a run-fest in Hyderabad, it was Pat Cummins and Co, who won the match by 31 runs.  

Records broken in the SRH vs MI IPL 2024 clash

Highest totals in T20 cricket

Nepal vs Mongolia, September 2023

Nepal hold the record for the highest team score in T20 cricket. Back in September 2023, the team, led by Rohit Paudel, scored 314 for 3 in 20 overs against Mongolia in the Asian Games match at the Zhejiang University of Technology Cricket Field in Hangzhou. After being put in to bat first, Nepal became the first team to score 300 in a T20 match.

Their openers, Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh could not make an impact after scoring 35 runs off 40 balls with 4 fours. However, Kusal Malla came out firing on all cylinders and raced to his half-century off 19 balls. He did not stop there and reached his century off 34 balls. Malla also broke the record for the fastest T20I hundred, a record jointly held by India’s Rohit Sharma, South Africa’s David Miller, and Czech Republic’s Sudesh Wickramasekera.

However, Malla’s record was broken when Namibia’s Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton scored his hundred off 33 balls against Nepal in February at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur. As far as the match against Mongolia was concerned, Malla got support from skipper Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee as well.

Paudel stayed not out on 61 runs off 27 balls with 2 fours and 6 sixes. Airee, on the other hand, broke Yuvraj Singh’s record for the fastest fifty in T20Is. He scored 52 runs off 10 balls with 8 sixes. Thereafter, Nepal bowled Mongolia out for 41 in 13.1 overs to win the match by 272 runs.

Highest Team Score in IPL | Top-5 Highest team totals in IPL history

Afghanistan vs Ireland, February 2019

Back in February 2019, Afghanistan scored 278 for 3 against Ireland in the 2nd match of the 3-match T20I series at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun. After opting to bat first, the Afghans got off to a flying start as their openers Hazratullah Zazai and Usman Ghani put on 236 runs in 17.3 overs.

Hazrat was at his brutal best after he scored 162 runs off 62 balls with 11 fours and 16 sixes. He got to his half-century off 25 balls after which he brought up his 3-figure score in 42 balls. Once he reached his hundred, he upped the ante and kept taking the Irish bowling to the cleaners. Ghani, on the other hand, scored 73 runs off 48 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes before Boyd Rankin accounted for his wicket.

Thereafter, Afghanistan restricted their opponent to 194 for 6 to win the match by 84 runs. With the victory, they also took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

Highest totals in T20 cricket
Photo by Icon Sport

Czech Republic vs Turkey, August 2019

In August 2019, Czech Republic scored 278 for 4 in 20 overs against Turkey in the Continental Cup match at the Moara Vlasiei Cricket Ground in Ilfov County. Opening batters, Honey Gori and Sumit Pokhriyal put on a partnership of 70 runs to lay the platform for their team. Sumit was impressive with the bat after he scored 79 runs off 52 balls with 12 fours and 2 sixes before Mehmat Sert dismissed him.

Shaun Dalton and Hilal Ahmed got out cheaply, but the acceleration came from Sudesh Wickramasekara, who scored an unbeaten 104 off 36 balls with 8 fours and 10 sixes. He played at a strike-rate of 288.88, making sure that the Czech racked up a huge total.

Thereafter, Czech Republic bowled Turkey out for 21 in 8.3 overs to win the match by 257 runs. Honey and Sameera Waththage picked up 3 wickets apiece. After scoring the hundred, Wickramasekara finished with figures of 1.3-1-0-2.

Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians, March 2024

SRH notched the 3rd highest team total in T20 cricket after they hammered 277 for 3 against MI on March 27, 2024 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Starting with, Travis Head broke David Warner’s record for the fastest fifty by an SRH batter in the IPL off 18 balls. Thereafter, it was Abhishek Sharma, who broke Head’s record by scoring a fifty off 16 deliveries.

Skipper Aiden Markram stayed not out on 42 off 28 balls, but it was Heinrich Klaasen, who helped the Sunrisers break all sorts of records. Klaasen, one of the fiercest strikers of the cricket ball, scored an unbeaten 80 off 34 balls with 4 fours and 7 sixes.

After Head, Klaasen and Sharma wreaked havoc, the MI batter came out all guns blazing. Although they could not go past the finish line, the Mumbai team made the SRH bowlers work hard throughout.

Punjab vs Andhra, October 2023

Punjab scored 275 for 6 when they faced Andhra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 match in October 2023 at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi. After opting to bat first, Punjab did not show their opponent any mercy whatsoever. Abhishek Sharma was their star performer after he scored 112 runs off 51 balls with 9 fours and as many sixes.

Later, it was Anmolpreet Singh, who gave the Punjab innings the kick they needed. Singh scored 87 runs off 26 balls with 6 fours and 9 sixes.

After Abhishek and Anmolpreet showed their prowess, it was Ricky Bhui’s turn to play a blinder. Bhui scored an unbeaten 104 off 52 balls with 6 fours and 9 sixes, but his efforts could not pay dividends. Andhra could only score 170 for 7 in their quota of 20 overs.

RohitRohit

Rohit is an experienced cricket writer based in India