Top 10 highest team totals in T20s

Before the latest evolution of Cricket, scoring a total close to 300 seemed like a safe bet to win in the 50-over format. As the T20 format gained popularity after the 2007 T20 World Cup in South Africa, players have changed their style of batting and have made totals of over 200 achievable with ease (in twenty overs).

With the invention of unorthodox shots such as the ‘reverse hit’ and the ‘Dilscoop’, batsmen have been able to get the better of the bowlers and have been scoring at unbelievable run rates.

Here is a list of the highest totals ever registered by teams in T20 format, including both domestic and International matches.

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10) Nondescripts Cricket Club (245-4 against Sri Lanka Air Force Sports)

In a T20 domestic tournament in 2015, Nondescripts Cricket Club faced the Sri Lanka Air Force Sports. Nondescripts won the toss and decided to bat first as Kumar Sangakkara scored 93 runs in 49 deliveries, hitting 9 boundaries and a couple of sixes in the process.

Kosala Kulasekara scored 98 runs in the same number of deliveries as Sanga and him ensured that the Nondescripts reached a total of over 240 in 20 overs. Russel Arnold played a good cameo of 21 runs in just 9 deliveries.

Ace bowler Lasith Malinga bowled 3 overs for the Nondescripts and picked up a wicket while conceding just 11 runs. Ultimately, the Nondescripts won by 142 runs as they bundled the Sri Lanka Air Force Sports to a total of 103.

9) Sinhalese Sports Club (246-4 against Colombo Cricket Club)

Sri Lankan domestic club Sinhalese make it to the 9th spot on this list of highest T20 totals. In 2015, the Sinhalese Sports Club and the Colombo Cricket Club took part in the SLC Twenty-20 tournament. Colombo had won the toss and had decided to field first against SSC.

Openers Danushka Gunathilaka and Minod Bhanuka made 111 runs together for the first wicket. Gunathilaka went on to make a century and got good support from Bhanuka and Dasun Shanaka to help Sinhalese reach a total of 246.

Though Colombo Cricket Club scored at a rate of over 9 runs per over, they never looked like chasing the target set by SSC and could manage only 182 runs in their 20 overs.

8) Chennai Super Kings (246-5 against Rajasthan Royals)

Before the Chennai Super Kings got suspended from the Indian Premier League, they were a force to reckon with and also the only team to have made it to the semi-finals in all their campaigns. In the third edition of the Indian Premier League, the Chennai Super Kings faced off against the Rajasthan Royals and had chosen to bat against them.

Openers Matthew Hayden and Murali Vijay gave a good start of 62 runs in 6 overs. Vijay went on to make a big century – 127 runs in 56 deliveries – and had the support of Albie Morkel who scored 62 runs in 34 deliveries to help the Super Kings register a total of 246 in 20 overs.

The Royals almost looked like they were going to reach the target with Naman Ojha scoring 94 runs in 55 deliveries but fell short by 23 runs in the end. In a high scoring match, Doug Bollinger was the pick of the bowlers, conceding just 15 runs in his 4 overs and also picking up 2 wickets in the process. Murali Vijay was awarded the Man of the Match.

7) Royal Challengers Bangalore (248-3 against Gujarat Lions)

With a batting line-up as strong as that of the Challengers, it should not come as a surprise that they feature on this list. In the match 44 of the IPL 2016 season, the Challengers were put into bat first by the Gujarat Lions and what followed was some unbelievable batting by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

After the departure of Chris Gayle early on in the innings, Kohli came together with de Villiers and put 229 runs for the 3rd wicket, De Villiers top-scoring with 129 runs in 52 deliveries and Kohli with 109 runs in 55 deliveries. The Challengers ended with 248 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in their 20 overs.

The Gujarat Lions were found completely clueless in their chase as they were bundled out for a total of 104 runs in 18 overs. Leggie Yuzvendra Chahal and Chris Jordan were the pick of the bowlers, sharing 7 wickets between them and helping the Challengers win by a margin of 144 runs.

6) Australia (248-6 against England)

The Australians achieved a huge score of 248 for the loss of 6 wickets against England in 2013. Opener Aaron Finch got off to a fiery start, scoring a big century of 156 in 63 deliveries, that included 14 sixes and 11 boundaries.

Shane Watson’s cameo of 37 in just 16 deliveries helped the Australians to reach this total against a decent English bowling line-up. Australia maintained a run rate of 12.40 runs per over and made it an uphill task for England to achieve.

In reply, England gave a good fight to the Australians, scoring 209 runs but fell well short of the required rate as Australia sealed a victory of 39 runs. Mitchell Johnson, Josh Hazlewood, and James Faulkner bowled well against a gritty England team and ensured victory for Australia.

Aaron Finch was given the Man of the Match award for his exceptional innings at the top of the order.

5) Somerset (250-3 against Gloucestershire)

Another English county club features on this list and this time, it is Somerset. After being put into bat by Gloucestershire, openers Justin Langer and Matt Wood put up 52 runs for the opening wicket.

Australian pair Langer and Cameron White continued and scored 186 runs between them for the 3rd wicket. While Langer departed after making 90 runs, White remained unbeaten on 116 in 53 deliveries, including 9 sixes and 6 boundaries.

Charl Willoughby was the star player in the bowling department, picking up 4 wickets in his 4 overs and conceding 30 runs in the process. Richard Johnson was economical in the 3 overs that he bowled, picking up a wicket while conceding just 12 runs as Somerset defeated Gloucestershire by 117 runs. Cameron White was given the Man of the Match award for his century.

4) Sinhalese Sports Club (251-6 against Saracens Sports Club)

Sinhalese Sports Club had taken part in the AIA Premier T20 tournament 2016 in Sri Lanka along with Saracens Sports Club. After Sinhalese won the toss, opener Minod Bhanuka had made a brisk start of 27 in 13 deliveries but it was Dasun Shanaka who stole the show.

Scoring a century in just 39 deliveries, Shanaka set the ground on fire with his explosive innings which included 16 sixes and a couple of boundaries. Kavindu Kulasekara supported Shanaka well, scoring 60 runs in 33 deliveries and also making sure that Sinhalese registered a total of over 250 in 20 overs.

In reply, the Saracens Sports Club faltered at just 128, losing all their wickets in 16 overs. Binura Fernando, Kasun Madushanka, Lakshan Jayasinghe, and Ramesh Mendis picked up a couple of wickets each and made sure that the Saracens Sports Club came nowhere near the target set by them. This the highest total in Sri Lankan domestic T20 cricket.

3) Gloucestershire (254-3 against Middlesex)

The highest total recorded by an English county club in the T20 format was by Gloucestershire in 2011. Openers Kevin O’Brien and Hamish Marshall scored centuries in the game against Middlesex at strike-rates of over 180.

Both the players put up an opening stand of 192 in 15 overs, making a total of 254 possible against Middlesex in the Friends Life T20 tournament. Kane Williamson played a cameo of 18 in just 7 deliveries at the end of the Gloucestershire innings and also picked up a wicket while bowling a couple of overs in the game.

Ian Saxelby and Jon Lewis were the picks of the bowlers for Gloucestershire as they restricted Middlesex to a total of 149 for the loss of 8 wickets in their 20 overs. Irish Cricketer Kevin O’Brien was adjudged the Man of the Match for his century at the top of the order.

2) Sri Lanka (260-6 against Kenya) and Yorkshire (260-4 against Northants)

Lyth provided plenty of entertainment at Leeds

On the back of Adam Lyth’s 161, Yorkshire posted 260, the highest score in Natwest T20 Blast history. Only two teams in the history of T20s have managed to score more than what Yorkshire managed against Northants at Leeds. Lyth, finished with the third-highest T20 score as Yorkshire won comfortably by 124 runs after Northants were bowled out for 136.

In a match which was considered a one-sided contest, to begin with, the Sri Lankans made sure that there was plenty of entertainment for their fans in the 2007 T20 World Cup match against minnows Kenya. Sri Lanka lost the toss and batted first with Upul Tharanga and Sanath Jayasuriya opening the innings for them.

After losing Tharanga in the 3rd over, Jayasuriya cut loose and raced to reach his fifty in 30 deliveries and was the top-scorer of the match with 88 runs in 44 deliveries.

Mahela Jayawardene scored 65 in 27 deliveries while Jehan Mubarak smashed 5 sixes, scoring 46 in just 13 deliveries, helping Sri Lanka record a mammoth total of 260 in 20 overs. The Sri Lankans registered a massive victory, beating Kenya by a margin of 170 runs.

Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga were the picks of the bowlers for Sri Lanka, picking up 2 wickets each with an economy rate of below 5 runs per over. Jayasuriya was awarded the Man of the Match for his performances with the bat and the ball.

1) Royal Challengers Bangalore (263-5 against Pune Warriors) and Australia (263-3 against Sri Lanka)

Glenn Maxwell is known as the big show and the Victorian showed everyone exactly why. He walked out to open against Sri Lanka in the first T20 in Kandy and smoked the Sri Lankan bowlers all over the park. In the process, he scored a breath-taking 145 runs in 65 balls.

Australia smashed the International record for the highest innings total set by Sri Lanka (260), when Travis Head clobbered a six in the final over of the innings. They eventually finished with 263/3 in 20 overs.

In the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League, the Royal Challengers Bangalore enjoyed a thumping victory against the Pune Warriors, credits to the West Indian Chris Gayle who whipped up a ‘Gayle storm’ that destroyed the Warriors.

Put in to bat first, the Challengers reached the first 50 runs in blazing quick time and never looked back as Gayle smashed the Warriors’ bowlers to all parts of the ground. The 36-year-old also recorded the fastest century in 30 deliveries and remained unbeaten at 175 (66 deliveries).

South African batsman AB de Villiers also played an aggressive cameo of 31 runs in 8 deliveries at a strike-rate of 387. The Challengers ended at a total of 263 with the loss of 5 wickets in 20 overs, giving the Warriors with little to no hope of chasing the huge total.

While the Challengers bowlers bowling extremely well to restrict the Warriors to 133, it was Chris Gayle again, this time in the bowling department, picking up 2 wickets in an over and helping RCB register a victory of 130 runs.