5 highest scores in T20 cricket (T20Is, IPL and other leagues)

Modern-day cricket has been revolutionized by the introduction of the shortest format of the game. Twenty20, a shortened form of cricket, was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board and is now the most-played format across the world.

Together with first-class and List A cricket, T20 is one of the three forms of cricket recognized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The introduction of the format has also led to a surge in cricket leagues around the world. England’s T20 Blast was the first to be introduced in 2003, followed by New Zealand’s Super Smash (2006), the Indian Premier League (2008), and Australia’s Big Bash League (2011).

However, in recent years, the IPL has emerged not just as the leading cricket league but also as one of the most popular competitions in the world. The 2024 season, which marked the 17th edition of the IPL, was a rather special one. Several batting records were shattered. The records for the highest run chase, the most sixes in a match, the highest total, and the highest-ever aggregate were broken last summer. 

Baroda shattered the record for the highest-ever team total in T20 cricket, as they posted 349/5 against Sikkim with Bhanu Pania scoring 134* off 51 balls.#SMAT2024 #SMAT #Baroda pic.twitter.com/30vcEWhKeD

— Circle of Cricket (@circleofcricket) December 5, 2024

The new variant of T20 cricket, which involves hard-hitting and run-scoring, has taken over the globe. Amid the run-scoring rampage, let us take a look at the highest-ever scores in T20 cricket, covering not only international matches and T20 leagues but domestic tournaments as well. 

Baroda’s 349/5 against Sikkim (2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy)

The Baroda state cricket team currently holds the record for the highest T20 score by a team, 349 runs for the loss of five wickets. The western Indian state’s team smashed the total in a group stage encounter of the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India’s premier domestic T20 tournament. The Baroda batters accumulated 294 runs in boundaries, another significant record. 

Played at Indore’s Emerald High School Ground on 5 December 2024, Baroda claimed a 263-run win over Sikkim. Batting first, they shattered a heap of records, led by middle-order batter Bhanu Pania’s unbeaten 134 off just 51 balls. Abhimanyu Singh, Shivalik Sharma, and Vishnu Solanki also contributed with quick-fire half-centuries. The match also set a record for the most number of sixes in a T20 innings, 37. 

Zimbabwe’s 344/4 against Gambia (ICC Men’s T20 World Cup sub-regional qualifiers)

Prior to Baroda’s stellar innings, the Zimbabwean national team held the record for the highest T20 score for two long months. Zimbabwe scored a mighty 344 runs for the loss of four wickets against Gambia in an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup African sub-regional qualifier tournament. The Ruaraka Sports Club ground in Nairobi witnessed the match on 23rd October, 2024. 

Zimbabwe went on to win the match by 290 runs, the highest winning margin by a team in T20 cricket history. Electing to bat first, Zimbabwean batters pounced upon the Gambian bowlers from the very first over. Sikandar Raza top-scored with 133 runs off just 43 deliveries, while Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, and Clive Madande played crucial knocks.

Nepal’s 314/3 against Mongolia (2022 Asian Games)

Third on the list of the highest T20 scores ever is Nepalese national team’s 314 run-innings against Mongolia at the 2022 Asian Games. Nepal broke the run-scoring record in the first group A men’s cricket encounter in the 19th Asian Games, hosted at the Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field in Hangzhou, China. It was the first time that a team breached the 300-run mark in a T20 match. 

Nepal did receive two early setbacks in the match after openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh got out with just 66 runs on the board. However, Kushal Malla and skipper Rohit Paudel stitched an impressive 193-run partnership. Malla scored 137 runs off just 50 balls while Paudel added 61 runs. Later on, Dipendra Singh Airee shattered another record by scoring the fastest T20 half-century, off just nine balls.

India’s 297/6 against Bangladesh (2024 Bangladesh Tour of India)

In one of the most high-profile run-scoring matches of all time, India posted a record-breaking total of 297 runs for the loss of six wickets against neighbors Bangladesh. Played at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad, the match helped the home side complete a 3-0 whitewash of their opponents in a three-match T20I series. 

India registered a win against Bangladesh by a huge margin of 133 runs as the visitors could only end with 164 runs. The Men in Blue were guided by Sanju Samson’s brilliant century off just 40 balls. Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav scored 75 runs off just 35 balls while Riyan Parag and Hardik Pandya contributed with crucial knocks. The match helped the Indian team surpass its previous T20I total record by 37 runs.

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s 287/3 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (2024 IPL)

The 2024 season of the IPL set new run-scoring standards in T20 cricket. Sunrisers Hyderabad were the forerunners of this major shift in the IPL as they posted the highest total in the competition’s history. SRH scored a record 287 runs for the loss of three wickets against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a 2024 IPL match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Travis Head top-scored for SRH with 102 runs off just 41 balls, while South African Heinrich Klassen scored 67 runs off 31 balls. Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, and Abdul Samad chipped in with crucial runs. However, in response, RCB scored 262 runs, losing out by just 25 runs. The match recorded an aggregate of 549 runs, the highest in any T20 match. It also became the T20 match with the most boundaries scored (81), which included 43 fours and 38 sixes in total. 

Rank	Score	Team	Opposition	Date	Competition
1	349/5	Baroda	Sikkim	5 Dec 2024	Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
2	344/4	Zimbabwe	Gambia	23 Oct 2024	ICC T20 WC Qualifiers
3	314/3	Nepal	Mongolia	27 Sep 2023	Asian Games
4	297/6	India	Bangladesh	12 Oct 2024	Series
5	287/3	Sunrisers Hyderabad	Royal Challenges Bengaluru	15 Apr 2024	Indian Premier League
6	286/5	Zimbabwe	Seychelles	19 Oct 2024	ICC T20 WC Qualifiers
7	286/6	Sunrisers Hyderabad	Rajasthan Royals	23 Mar 2025	Indian Premier League
8	283/1	India	South Africa	15 Nov 2024	Series
9	278/3	Aghanistan	Ireland	23 Feb 2019	Series
10	278/4	Czech Republic	Turkey	30 Aug 2019	Continental Cup

Nonetheless, it seems more likely that SRH might breach the 300-run mark in the IPL this time. The Orange Army has already embarked on a run-scoring spree in the 2025 IPL season, as they scored 286 runs in just their opening encounter against Rajasthan Royals.