T20 cricket has taken rapid strides in the last 24 months or so. Earlier, scores of 200 were tough to chase down, but nowadays, scores of above 250 have also become chasable. Earlier, 500 runs being scored in a T20 match was unthinkable. But since October 2022, 6 times, the 500-run mark has been breached. It goes without saying that life is becoming tougher for the bowlers in the format.
Players with the highest strike rate in IPL history
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Most runs in a T20 match
549, RCB vs SRH, 2024
The match between the Sunrisers and the Challengers at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru turned out to be an absolute run-fest. After SRH were asked to bat first, they racked up the highest ever team of 287 for 3 in the history of the IPL. Last month, the Orange Army scored 277 against Mumbai Indians (MI) and broke an 11-year-old record, earlier helped by RCB.
Against RCB, Travis Head laid the platform by hitting the fourth-fastest hundred in the history of the IPL. He scored 102 runs off 41 balls after which Heinrich Klaasen chipped in with a knock of 67 with the help of 7 fours. Abdul Samad injected momentum into the innings by smashing an unbeaten 37.
RCB lost the match by 25 runs despite scoring 262 for 7. Faf du Plessis scored 62 runs off 28 balls and took the Challengers off to a flying start. Dinesh Karthik was exceptional as batting at No.6, the veteran scored 83 runs off 55 balls with 5 fours and 7 sixes. RCB notched the highest score while batting second in a T20 match, but their efforts were not enough for them to win.
523, SRH vs MI, 2024
During the first week of the IPL 2024, SRH and MI put on an absolute show when they faced each other at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. After being asked to bat first, SRH scored 277 for the loss of 3 wickets. Travis Head hit the fastest fifty by an SRH batter off 16 balls after which Abhishek Sharma broke the record by smashing a half-century off 16 balls.
After Head and Sharma unleashed hell on the opposition, it was the turn of Heinrich Klaasen to show why he is deemed as one of the cleanest strikers of the ball. Klaasen made an unbeaten 80 off 34 balls with 4 fours and 7 sixes. Hardik Pandya, Gerald Coetzee and Piyush Chawla picked up one wicket apiece.
MI batters did not give up in their run-chase and played their shots freely. Tilak Varma was the pick of their batters after he raced to scoring 64 runs off 34 balls with 2 fours and 6 sixes. Tim David threw his bat to stay not out on 42 off 22, but his efforts went in vain.
517, South Africa vs West Indies, 2023
The match between South Africa and West Indies last year at the SuperSport Park in Centurion was the first instance of 500 runs being scored in a T20I. After being asked to bat, the visitors put up a colossal score of 258 for 5 on the board. Johnson Charles was on top of his game after he scored 118 runs off 46 balls with 10 fours and 11 sixes.
Romario Shepherd helped the Caribbean team go past the finish line with a knock of 41 off 18 balls. Marco Jansen picked up 3 wickets, but leaked 52 runs. Left-arm fast bowler Wayne Parnell accounted for the crucial scalps of Brandon King and Rovman Powell.
It took South Africa 18.5 overs to track down the target. Quinton de Kock was the star of the show for the Proteas after he scored 100 runs off 44 balls with the help of 9 fours and 8 sixes. Reeza Hendricks made 68 runs off 28 balls and built a 152-run stand with de Kock off 10.5 overs.
Thereafter, Markram and Klaasen stayed not out on 38 and 16 respectively as the home team romped home with 7 balls to spare.
At Johannesburg in 2006:
— Broken Cricket (@BrokenCricket) January 11, 2015
Aus: 434/4
SA: 438/8
Record Chase in ODI
At Johannesburg in 2015:
SA: 231/7
WI: 236/6
Record Chase in T20
515, Gladiators vs Sultans, 2023
The match between Quetta Gladiators and Multan Sultans in Rawalpindi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 turned out to be a high-scoring affair. After being sent in to bat, the Sultans put up a huge score of 262 for 3. Usman Khan made the record for the fastest century in PSL history off 36 balls. The right-handed batter scored 120 runs off 43 balls with 12 fours and 9 sixes.
Skipper Mohammad Rizwan scored 55 runs and put on 157 runs for the opening wicket off 10 overs along with Usman. Tim David and Kieron Pollard played useful cameos as the Sultans scored 262 for 3 in 20 overs. Qais Ahmed got the wickets of Rizwan and Rilee Rossouw, but gave away 77 runs in 4 overs.
The Gladiators could only manage 253 for 8 in 20 overs. Omair Yousuf and Iftikhar Ahmed scored 67 and 53 runs respectively, but the Gladiators lost the match by 9 runs. Abbas Afridi was stupendous for the Sultans after he picked up 5 wickets for 47 runs.
Leading run-scorer of each IPL team: Virat Kohli nears 8k for RCB
506, Surrey vs Middlesex, 2023
The South Group match in the T20 Blast 2023 between Surrey and Middlesex was a high-scoring affair. After being asked to bat first at the Kennington Oval in London, Surrey put up a big score of 252 for 7 on the board. Will Jacks was their star batter after he scored 96 runs off 45 balls with 8 fours and 7 sixes.
Laurie Evans also performed brilliantly with the bat after he made 85 runs off 37 balls with 9 fours and 5 sixes. The opening duo put on 177 runs off 12.4 overs. Thereafter, Middlesex came out firing on all cylinders and chased down the target with 4 balls to spare.
Stephen Eskinazi scored 73 runs off 39 balls before Chris Jordan dismissed him. Batting at No.3, Max Holden stayed not out on 68 runs off 35 deliveries. Ryan Higgins made 48 runs to take Middlesex past the finish line.
