Published on: Sep 14, 2021 1:07 pm IST|Updated on: Aug 25, 2022 5:36 pm IST
God of T20 – Ever since the inaugural T20 world cup was held in South Africa in 2007, and with the advent of global T20 leagues like the IPL soon after that, the T20 format has gone on to become the most popular and entertaining cricket format.
Many legends of the game have decorated this shortest format in the last decade and a half. And hence it takes a herculean effort to pinpoint the best 10 among the lot.
1. Chris Gayle
The first name on the list is a no-brainer. Nobody has bossed this format like Chris Gayle. Having played a record 420 T20 matches, Gayle has amassed 14,204 runs in this format at a strike rate of 146. What makes his stats even more unbelievable is the fact that he has 22 centuries in this format, whereas the second on the list has just a single-digit number. Nobody has ruled T20 cricket like the ‘Universe Boss’ and it’s safe to say that he is the ultimate GOD of T20 cricket.
2. Dwayne Bravo
DJ Bravo is a champion when it comes to T20 cricket. He was the pioneer in death over bowling and has revolutionized that art with slow balls and wide yorkers over the years. He leads the bowling charts in the overall T20 wicket-takers list with a whopping 540 wickets.
3. Kieron Pollard
The big West Indian has played the most number of T20 matches and is only second to Chris Gayle in the overall T20 run-getters list. Considering Gayle’s age and the number of years Pollard has left in the tank, he is expected to finish on top when he decides to hang up his boots.
4. Sunil Narine
The mystery spinner was a revelation when he first burst onto the scenes. From then till then, he has been the most reliable bowler for whichever teams he has played for. The fact that he is still able to take wickets and restrict the flow of runs, even after being forced to change his action, makes him even more special.
5. Imran Tahir
The South African veteran is the second leading wicket-taker in the history of T20 cricket. The fact that he is still going strong even in his forties justifies why he is one of the all-time greats of the game.
6. Shoaib Malik
The Pakistan veteran has been traveling around the globe playing various franchise T20 leagues in the past decade. And it’s safe to say that he has been consistent for all the teams that he has played for and has tasted success in all of them.
7. Lasith Malinga
The first name that comes to our mind when we think about death overs and yorkers is Lasith Malinga. That itself is enough to understand the significant impact this man has created in the shortest format of the game.
8. Virat Kohli
If King Kohli had played the same number of T20 matches as others on this list, he would have been undisputedly called the GOD of T20 cricket. He still averages over 40 and has close to 10,000 T20 runs to his name.
9. David Warner
Consistency is one word that you’ll associate with David Warner. His ability to take the attack back at the opposition and his ability to play the anchor role at the same time makes him a perfect T20 batsman.
10. Rashid Khan
The Afghan spin maestro is already a legend in this format of the game. Batsmen still find it difficult to read him and that makes him the most valuable property in the T20 circuit.
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