39-year-old Kieron Pollard has touched the Mt. Everest of T20 cricket as he surpassed Chris Gayle to become the leading run-scorer in T20 cricket.
Pollard achieved this feat during his thunderous century on Saturday in Dallas while batting for MI New York against Washington Freedom in the ongoing MLC 2026.
Pollard ended Gayle’s reign of 12 years at the top of the T20 runs chart. On March 28, 2014, Gayle had become the highest run-scorer in T20s and occupied this position for 12 years before being displaced by Pollard on June 20, 2026.
Gayle had last played a professional T20 match in 2022, and his T20 runs tally reads: 14562 runs in 455 innings, average of 36, strike rate of 144, 22 centuries, 88 fifties, and 1056 sixes.
Now, Pollard, who made his T20 debut in 2006, a year later than Gayle, has amassed more runs than his former West Indies teammate. Pollard now has 14582 runs in 653 innings at an average of 31 and a strike rate of 151. He has hammered two T20 centuries along with 67 fifties while also smashing 986 sixes.
After becoming the highest run-scorer in T20 cricket, Pollard said,
“Surpassing Chris Gayle, someone we looked up to in the West Indies over a period of time, is special. He has done great things in all formats of cricket, so again, sorry Universe Boss, but we are both at the top there.”
The fact that Pollard has attained this historic achievement while batting most of the time in the middle and lower-middle order makes it even more extraordinary. Out of his 653 innings, Pollard batted at No. 3 only 22 times, and the rest of his knocks have been from No. 4 and below, with 286 innings coming from Nos. 6 and 7.
Pollard has played T20 cricket all around the world, plying his trade in 11 countries, and has turned up for 23 different teams. He has so far featured in 736 T20 matches; the man next on this list is Sunil Narine, with 597 T20s under his belt.
“Having said that, batting at No. 6 or 7 is very difficult. Somebody needs to do the dirty work, though, and while everyone rushes to bat at the top of the order, a cricket match involves 11 people, and everyone has a role to play. I guess my role over time was to finish matches, and I embraced that. Once you embrace the challenge and practice for it, good things come,” he added.
Pollard is in that stage of his career where he is having a dual role. He is coaching teams in the IPL and The Hundred while playing in other T20 leagues.
He said, “I think it’s more about personal pride, motivation, and wanting to play the sport, and wanting to help the youngsters in each and every team I play for. Once that desire is there, I’m going to continue. It’s not going to be at the expense of any young person who wants to take the mantle. For me, I’m just enjoying the moment.”
Who has hit the most sixes in T20 cricket?
Pollard has another record of Gayle in sight. Pollard has plundered 986 sixes in T20 cricket, with only Gayle with 1056 sixes ahead of him.
Who has scored the most runs in T20 cricket?
On June 20, 2026, Pollard broke Gayle’s record for the most runs in T20 cricket to become the leading run-scorer in the format. Gayle amassed 14562 runs in his T20 career, and Pollard has gone past him, now sitting with 14582 runs.
Top 5 batsmen with most runs in T20 cricket:
- Kieron Pollard – 14582 runs*
- Chris Gayle – 14562 runs
- Alex Hales – 14449 runs
- Jos Buttler – 14371 runs
- David Warner – 14284 runs
*(Stats updated till June 21, 2026)
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