Openers are crucial in T20 World Cups, providing strong starts and setting solid foundations. With the ability to face the most deliveries, they often accumulate significant runs, driving their teams to high totals.
Legendary players like Chris Gayle, David Warner, and Rohit Sharma have excelled in this role.
ALSO READ: Batters With Most Runs In Successful Chases In T20 World Cup
Here, we list the top 10 batters who have scored the most runs as openers in T20 World Cup history.
Discover key insights and statistics about these exceptional players who have redefined batting in T20 cricket
Top 10: T20 World Cup Openers With Most Runs
| Player | Innings | Runs As Opener |
| Chris Gayle (WI) | 29 | 940 |
| David Warner (AUS) | 30 | 768 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL) | 26 | 766 |
| Rohit Sharma (IND) | 26 | 695 |
| Alex Hales (ENG) | 20 | 568 |
| Mahela Jayawardene (SL) | 12 | 532 |
| Gautam Gambhir (IND) | 20 | 524 |
| Tamim Iqbal (BAN) | 23 | 514 |
| Jos Buttler (ENG) | 12 | 494 |
| Martin Guptill (NZ) | 20 | 476 |
Key Insights:
940: Chris Gayle holds the record for the most runs as an opener in T20 World Cup history. The West Indies batter scored 940 runs in 29 innings, averaging 36.15 with a strike rate of 144.39. He also has 2 centuries and 7 fifties.
9: Gayle’s 9 fifty-plus scores are the most for any opener in the tournament. He is the only opener to have scored 2 centuries in T20 World Cups.
117: Gayle’s 117 runs against South Africa in 2007 is the highest score by an opener in a single innings. This was also the first-ever century in the T20I format.
88.33: Matthew Hayden boasts the best batting average among openers with 200+ runs in T20 World Cups. The Australian batter scored 265 runs in 6 innings at an average of 88.33.
150: Imran Nazir of Pakistan has the highest strike rate among openers with 200+ runs. He struck at a rate of 150, scoring 300 runs in 13 innings.
62: Chris Gayle has smashed 62 sixes as an opener, the most in T20 World Cup history. He has hit only one six as a non-opener, totaling 63 sixes, the highest in the competition.
Ahmed Shehzad, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Mahela Jayawardene, and Tamim Iqbal have each scored a century as openers.
ALSO READ: Fastest Centuries In T20 World Cup History