The T20 format was invented by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 and at the start, the emphasis was given on power-hitting keeping the limited-overs in mind. The focus now shifted on acquiring batsmen with higher strike-rates in limited-overs cricket and since then it has been the norm for T20s.

But as the game evolved, batsmen who could play technically well and score runs in the proper way, and on a more consistent basis; were preferred by teams who were seeing the bigger picture in the format. The franchise-based cricket has made batsmen with good averages hot commodity as teams looked for consistent runs for the long run.

Therefore, we take a look at 10 batsmen who have the highest average in T20 cricket (in minimum 50 innings)

10. HD Ackerman- 37.72

The South African batsman Hylton Deon Ackerman may not ring many bells in cricket fans’ minds when it comes to T20 cricket. The right-handed batsman played four Tests for Proteas against England in 1998 and though T20 cricket came later in his career, Ackerman excelled in the handful of matches he played towards the end of his career.

He played 55 T20s scoring 1811 runs with 17 half-centuries to his name and the highest score of 87. However, something that stood out in the slam-bang version of the game, was his average of 37.72 in 55 innings, putting him in an elite list of batsmen.

The South African had joined Leicestershire in 2005 under Kolpak rules and had much success as their captain. Nowadays, Ackerman is a known voice as a commentator for the Supersport broadcasting team in his native South Africa.

9. David Warner- 37.93

When David Warner made his T20I debut for Australia in 2009 against Australia, the left-handed opener had not played any FC cricket but showed signs of feeling comfortable in international cricket. Since then, Warner had gone onto become one of the most feared openers in all three formats of the game.

In T20s, Warner has been particularly brutal, as he had mixed his aggressive style of batting with grounded shots and this has given him the ability to play longer innings and hence has an average of 37.93 in 279 innings in the format. He has 9218 runs with 8 centuries to his name and 75 half-centuries.

Warner has appeared for New South Wales, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils, Sydney Thunder and other teams in franchise-based T20 leagues all over the world. He will be seen next in the IPL leading the Hyderabad team.

8. Chris Gayle- 38.20

Inarguably the Bradman of T20 cricket, West Indies’ Chris Gayle has made the format a batsman’s paradise, as he rewrote how openers batted and how power players went about with their game.

The burly Jamaican has played 404 T20 matches and in 396 innings, he has 13296 runs with an astonishing 22 centuries and 82 half-centuries to his name including the highest ever score in 175* at a strike rate of 146.94. However, amongst all the brutality that Gayle brings to the table, we all forget that he used to be extremely consistent with the bat as well in his early days.

Therefore, he averages 38.20 in his 15-year T20 career. The 40-year-old will be appearing in the IPL 2020 next for the Kings XI Punjab and though he has shown no signs of retiring from the game, his fans know that his game should be enjoyed as much as possible.

7. Shaun Marsh- 38.75

The Australian top-order batsman Shaun Marsh has been often considered to be one of the most talented batsmen from Down Under. However, the left-hander has often failed to live up to the expectations due to inconsistent form and injuries that have plagued his career.

His talent has always meant that he was always a hot attraction in T20 leagues all over the world. In 185 matches and 182 innings, Marsh has 6124 runs with 2 centuries and 47 fifties to his name. Though his strike rate has been a modest 128.19; Marsh averages 38.75, which is very high for the format and the fact he opens for the majority of teams he has played for.

Marsh’s best performances have come in the IPL for Kings XI Punjab where he made 616 runs in just 11 matches in the inaugural edition in 2008 and for Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League.

6. Devon Conway- 39.66

Devon Conway is a young South African batsman who plays for Dolphins, Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal amongst other teams. He is now playing in New Zealand and will be eligible to play cricket for the country in September of 2020.

He was recently in news for making 543 runs in 11 matches for Wellington in the 2019-20 Super Smash tournament including a 49-ball century. The left-hander has played 68 innings in 70 T20 matches with 2221 runs with a strike rate of 124.84 and two centuries.

He is very consistent also with his performances, given that he averages 39.66, something that is highly valued in today’s times and puts him in this elite list of batsmen with highest T20 averages.

5. MS Dhoni- 39.88

An icon of Indian cricket and widely regarded as one of the best captains to ever take the field in limited-overs cricket, India’s MS Dhoni has a rich legacy to his cricketing career. Winner of the inaugural World T20 in 2007, the World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013, the Jharkhand-born wicketkeeper-batsman also excelled in the T20 format as a finisher, or rather the best finisher.

He played T20 cricket for Jharkhand, Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiant and of course India. In 283 innings of 317 matches, Dhoni has 6621 runs with a strike rate of 135.62 with 27 fifties to his name and the highest score of 84*. He will be playing for and leading the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020.

MS Dhoni’s biggest calling cards have been stepping up to the plate whenever his team needs him the most and he has often finished games from situations almost on the brink of defeat. Therefore, his consistency is reflected in his average in the T20 format, which stands at 39.88. Many would argue this is because of the high number of unbeaten innings in his repertoire (117 no innings in 283). But it also shows that he was consistent in finishing matches and often with success.

4. D’Arcy Short- 39.91

D’Arcy Short, the left-handed opening batter for Australia, Hobart Hurricanes, Rajasthan Royals and many other T20 teams around the world, has been one of the most attractive batsmen in the format.

The 29-year-old made an impact during the BBL 2017-18 where he made 578 runs in the tournament, the then highest runs in the league, including the then highest score in the league- 122*. Since then he has appeared for other teams as well and in total, he played 83 matches in the T20 format, making 2954 runs with a strike-rate of 136.12 with two centuries and 23 fifties to his name.

He averages 39.91 something odd for someone who bats in higher-order and has appeared in England’s T20 Blast as well.  He along with Aaron Finch holds the record of highest opening partnership in a T20I match- 223 against Zimbabwe in 2018.

3. Virat Kohli- 41.20

Indian captain Virat Kohli is at no.3 in the list of batsmen with the highest average in T20 cricket with 41.20 from 266 innings in 288 matches. He has 8900 runs with a strike rate of 134.56 and has 5 centuries to his name with the highest score being 113.

Kohli usually bats at the top, including opening the innings for his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore, for whom he has made all of his T20 centuries, with four of them coming in one edition in 2016. In the same edition, Kohli also slammed more than 970 runs, the highest ever runs by any batsman in a single edition of any T20 league, including IPL.

He is one of the hottest properties in the world today when it comes to batting and Kohli has made consistency his talking point, which is aided with his risk-free game in even the shortest format of the game. He plays ground shots the most which is evident given he has 808 fours as compared to 286 sixes in T20s.

2. KL Rahul – 42.02

KL Rahul is the new Indian poster boy in T20 cricket. The 27-year-old Karnataka batsman has a young career but has crammed many records in it so far. He was the first Indian to score a century on ODI debut and the fastest in the world to score century each in all the three formats in international cricket.

The Indian opener boasts of an enviable record in the T20 format with 4076 runs in 118 innings in 131 matches. His strike rate is 140.16 and he averages an astonishing 42.02, showing that he adapts well wherever he has been asked to bat.

Be it opening or as a finisher, KL Rahul has acclimatized well to conditions and situations, winning matches for his team.

1. Babar Azam – 42.75

The number one batsman in T20I format, Pakistan’s Babar Azam rivals Virat Kohli in technically proficient batting in the slam-bang format. The man with the silkiest of touches has a wider range of experience in the format, playing in T20 leagues all over the world including places like West Indies, England and of course the Pakistan Super League.

Azam has played 135 innings in 137 matches so far scoring 4741 runs at an average of 42.75 and a strike-rate of 125.45. He has 3 centuries and 37 fifties to his name and is perhaps called one of the most talented modern batsmen to come out of Pakistan.

However, unlike most of the talent that plays T20 cricket in Pakistan, Azam belongs to Shoaib Malik’s school of cricket, putting the emphasis more on proper cricketing shots rather than innovative shots like a ramp and reverse hits. Not like that he doesn’t have that shots in his quiver, but he relies more on regular shots rather than fancy ones to get regular runs, hence giving him such a high average.