Best T20 XI of the 21st century

The T20 format of cricket came into existence in the early 2000s, however, it became famous only once the inaugural ICC World T20 took place in South Africa in 2007. When a young India side lifted the cup for the first time, no one would have thought that T20 cricket would be as popular as it is today.

However, here we are, with almost every country in the world having a T20 league of its own, the Indian Premier League being the most famous of them all.

Over the past many years, we have seen some great international cricketers grace the field with their presence in the shortest format of the game. These players made the format their own and have been incredible in the development of the game.

So, let’s take a look at the best T20 XI of this decade

Chris Gayle

The first name on this list is a no-brainer. The Universe Boss made the format his own having scored more than 10000 runs over the past 10+ years.

He has lit up every T20 league he has played in and has played equally well for his country as well. He was one of the main reasons why the West Indies won two World T20s, the only nation to have lifted the world cup twice.

To be exact, he has scored 11454 runs in 335 matches for all the teams he has played for. He has scored 21 centuries and holds the record for the highest ever score in a T20 match – 175* which came for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.

David Warner

There might be an argument to put Brendon McCullum as the second opener but David Warner edges him out on this list.

The Australian batsman is currently serving a ban from international cricket due to his involvement in the Sandpaper Gate incident.

He has scored a total of 7668 runs in 243 matches across all leagues and international matches. He has scored 6 centuries with a high score of 135. He also led the Sunrisers Hyderabad to victory in the IPL 2016.

Virat Kohli

The Indian cricket team captain is not only one of the best batsmen in the T20 format but one of the best batsmen in all three formats.

He is arguably the greatest chaser there is in modern cricket, having single-handedly won numerous matches for India and the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

He has a phenomenal average of 40.75, having scored 7744 runs in 243 matches across the domestic and international stage.

AB de Villiers

The aggressive South African batsmen who retired earlier this year is one of the greatest T20 batsmen to have played the game.

He has single-handedly destroyed numerous bowling line-ups with his powerful hitting by smashing them all around the ground. His style of batting also gave him the nickname of Mr. 360.

He has scored a total of 6649 runs in 251 matches at an average of slightly above 35.

Shane Watson

The Australian all-rounder was the man of the match in the recently concluded IPL final, thus proving that even at the age of 36, he continues to be so great in this format.

Watson is one of the best all-rounders to have played in this format and is flexible in his batting position. He can even open the batting or play in the middle order.

Apart from that, he chips in with four overs while bowling and can pick up wickets at regular intervals as well.

Shakib al Hasan

Shakib al Hasan is undoubtedly the best Bangladeshi cricketer to date. He has led Bangladesh cricket to great heights and made them a formidable side in this format.

He is one of the few Bangladeshi cricketers to play in the IPL as well. He can be extremely aggressive with the bat in the middle order and is a great spinner as well.

He has scored over 4000 runs while batting and has picked up 310 wickets in the 274 matches he has played across the domestic and international level.

Dwayne Bravo

The fun-loving West Indian all-rounder is probably one of the best all-rounders to play this format of the game.

At the beginning of his career, he was known more for his batting than his bowling. However, as his career progressed, he became one of the best T20 bowlers in the world, especially at the death.

With 433 wickets in 396 matches, he tops the list of the most number of wickets taken in this format. He has also scored nearly 6000 runs.

Sunil Narine

The mystery spinner has had a turbulent career, having been suspended on multiple occasions for his bowling action. However, he has always come back strong and made a name for himself by constantly picking up wickets.

He also has one of the best economy rates in this format of the game. He has picked up a total of 334 wickets in 287 matches.

He can also chip in with the bat as we have seen in the BBL and IPL. He is more than capable of opening the batting and smashing the bowlers.

Lasith Malinga

The veteran Sri Lankan might not be in the squad right now but he is arguably the best T20 bowler the world has seen.

His yorkers have been a nightmare for the opposition batsmen and he has caused a lot of trouble to the best batsmen in the world over the years.

He is second on the list of the most number of wickets taken in this format, with 348 wickets to his name in 256 matches.

Dale Steyn

The South African legend has been struggling with injuries over the past few years and has been in and out of the team on multiple occasions.

However, he remains to be one of the best T20 bowlers in the world. The pace and the swing he produces has been a torture for the opposition batsmen.

He has picked up 207 wickets in 184 matches at an economy rate of slightly above 6.

Jasprit Bumrah

The Indian fast bowler might not have as many wickets as the other bowlers in this list but he is one of the best bowlers in the world today in the limited-overs format.

His toe-crushing yorkers and the pace with which he bowls at causes a lot of problems to the opposition batsmen.

So far, he has taken a total of 147 wickets in 126 matches. He will surely pick up a lot more wickets in the future and aim to topple the likes of Bravo and Narine in the years to come.