The third edition of the Asia Cup T20I will begin on Sep 9 with eight teams participating in the UAE. With the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 looming and only a few months away, the ACC have decided to organize the T20I Asia Cup. The tournament started in the ODI format in 1984, is now played in T20I format too if the T20 WC is around the corner.
The first T20I Asia Cup was played in 2016, followed by another edition in 2022. Three years later, another T20I is looming and the attention will be on how these teams are shaping up before the T20 WC in India and Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, in this listicle, let’s have a look at the batters with highest striker rates.
Highest Strike Rates in T20I Asia Cups
1. Suryakumar Yadav (163.52)
The right-hander played in the 2022 edition. India managed to get into the Super Four and bowed out after losing to Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, the T20 World Cup winner scored 139 runs in five games averaging 34.75 and striking at 163.52 including a half-century, that came against Hong Kong at the time. This time around, Yadav will lead India and this is his first multi-nation tournament after becoming full-time T20I captain. The T20 WC 2024 winner became captain after Rohit Sharma retired from the format right after winning the World Cup last year.
2. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (163.44)
The Afghanistan opening batter scored 152 runs in five matches averaging 30.40 and striking at 163.44 with the highest score of 84. The Blue Brigade made it to the Super Four and lost to Pakistan by a wicket in what turned out to be a high-voltage game. A day later, India hammered Afghans before bowing out of the tournament. Expect Gurbaz to do some magic as he has gained more experience at this level.
3. Najibullah Zadran (157.14)
The left-handed middle-order from Afghanistan has played both the editions of T20I Asia Cup. The Asian side didn’t make it to the main tournament after losing to the United Arab Emirates. Six years later, they made it to the Super Fours. Meanwhile, the left-hander has played eight games, amassed 176 runs averaging 35.20 with the highest score of 60 not out. Zadran’s strike has been 157.14 and expect good performances this time around too.
4. Babar Hayat (146.87)
The Hong Kong international has a higher strike rate than some of the biggest names in world cricket. After having played in 2016 and 2022 editions, the right-hander has amassed 235 runs in five matches averaging 47. His team has qualified for the Asia Cup this time around too and expect him to create fireworks against some teams.
5. Mahmudullah (141.80)
The former Bangladesh captain retired from the shortest format last year. His last T20I was against India in which the T20 World Cup winners amassed 297 runs in Hyderabad. Mahmudullah has played the 2016 and 2022 editions, having played the final of the 2016 and in 2022, the Tigers bowed out of the first round. He won’t be part of the tournament this time. Meanwhile, the 39-year-old has played seven games and got 173 runs averaging 57.66 with the highest score of 36 not out.
6. Rohit Sharma (141.14)
The former India T20I captain retired from the shortest format right after winning the T20 World Cup 2024. Sharma is the winner of the T20I Asia Cup 2016 and captained the team in the 2022 edition. The right-hander amassed 271 runs in nine games and played his part in India’s win in the 2016.
7. Virat Kohli (132)
The former India captain played two T20I Asia Cups and despite him being the captain of all formats for a long time, Kohli never captained the Men In Blue in T20I Asia Cups. He is the highest run getter among all the names in the list with 429 runs in 10 games. Now that he is retired from the shortest format alongside Sharma, his last innings was him getting his only T20I hundred, in the game against Afghanistan in 2022.
