Highest Individual Scores In T20 Cricket

Chris Gayle & Naman Dhir (Source: AFP & X.com)On Tuesday, Mumbai Indians’ allrounder Naman Dhir set the stage on fire in a Sher-e-Punjab 2026 match between Amritsar Soormas and Mohali Kings at the PCA I.S. Bindra Stadium.Asked to open the innings for the Soormas, in place of regular opener and captain Abhishek Sharma, Dhir smashed 173 off just 64 balls.The innings is the highest individual score recorded across India’s state-level T20 leagues. It also established a new record for the biggest score by a batter in the Sher-e-Punjab tournament.Naman Dhir's 173 finds no spot in the tally of highest individual scored in T20 cricket However, to everyone’s surprise, Naman Dhir’s 173 will not be counted as the second-highest individual score in T20 history.Notably, the ICC doesn’t consider a state T20 league, like the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League, an official T20 tournament. It only recognises competitions like the SMAT and the IPL as official T20 tournaments organised by the BCCI.Also read: Naman Dhir Can Threaten These India Stars' T20I Spots Amid Red-Hot FormThat being said, in this article, let’s take a look at the list of the top five highest individual scores in T20 cricket.5) Hamilton Masakadza - 162* vs Eagles on February 11, 2016In a T20 match between Mountaineers and Mashonaland Eagles in Harare, Zimbabwe, batter Hamilton Masakadza notched up the one of the highest individual scores in Twenty20 history when he blasted an unbeaten 162 off 71 balls.Masakadza's 162 was made off just 71 balls, and it included 14 fours and 11 sixes. At that time, this was the second-highest score in the format, only behind Chris Gayle's monstrous 175 off 66 balls.Moreover, Masakadza, with his 162-run knock, became the second player to score a hundred in the Zimbabwe Twenty20 Domestic competition in the 2015/16 season.4) Karanbir Singh - 164 vs Hungary on June 28, 2026Austria had a historic day during their T20I match against Hungary on June 28, 2026. In the last match of the three-match T20I series, Austria captain Karanbir Singh led the way with 164 off 57 balls, the fourth-highest individual score in T20s and the second-highest in men's T20Is.Singh’s heroics helped Austria become the fifth team to score over 300 in a men's T20I after completing a 3-0 series whitewash against Hungary.In the same match, he surpassed Indian star Rohit Sharma for the record for most T20I sixes by a batter. Rohit hit 205 T20I sixes before retiring from the format. Meanwhile, by the end of that match, Karanbir Singh had hit 207 T20I sixes.3) Hamza Khan - 164* vs Ivory Coast on May 24, 2026On May 24, 2026, Rwanda’s Hamza Khan produced one of the greatest innings in Men's T20I history, hammering a sensational 164* against Ivory Coast in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier in Gaborone.Also read: 5 Highest Individual Scores In IPL HistoryHis 164-run knock, the third-highest individual score in T20 cricket, came off just 65 balls and was laced with nine fours and 15 sixes at a thumping strike rate of 252.30. The 15 sixes he hit are also the joint fourth-highest in a single T20I innings.2) Aaron Finch - 172 vs Zimbabwe on July 3, 2018Former Australian opener Aaron Finch scored a magnificent 172-run knock on July 3, 2018, against Zimbabwe, to power Australia to a comprehensive 100-run win.His fiery 172 runs stand as his highest T20I score and the highest in all T20Is. Finch’s 76-ball innings featured as many as 16 boundaries and 10 sixes.However, his innings ended in an even more bizarre fashion: he got out hit wicket. It meant that while he had broken his own record for best T20I score, he fell just short of Chris Gayle's mark of 175* for the all-time T20 record.1) Chris Gayle - 175* vs Pune Warriors India on April 23, 2013Back in IPL 2013, Chris Gayle had bludgeoned the fastest hundred in T20 cricket. He then went on to register the highest score in the history of the Indian Premier League. On April 23, 2013, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter smashed an unbeaten 175 after getting to his hundred off only 30 balls. Overall, he faced 66 balls and smashed 13 boundaries and 17 sixes in the innings against Pune Warriors.His mammoth 175*, even after more than a decade stands as the highest individual score in T20 cricket.Also read: Why Jammu-Kashmir Will Have No Representation In The Next BCCI AGM?