Nicholas Pooran picks top 5 all-time T20 batters; includes 3 from RCB but leaves out MS Dhoni

Former West Indian batter Nicholas Pooran picked his top five all-time T20 batters, with some expected selections and other surprising misses (via Crictracker). Legendary captain MS Dhoni was surprisingly excluded from the top-five list despite his five IPL titles and one T20 World Cup triumph as captain.

Renowned as one of the best T20 batters in world cricket, Pooran picked the West Indian duo of Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard.

Gayle is the all-time leading T20 run-scorer with 14,562 runs at an average of over 36 and a strike rate of 144.75 in 463 outings. Apart from wielding his magic in several global leagues, the former left-hander also helped the West Indies win the 2012 and 2016 T20 World Cups.

Meanwhile, Pollard is just behind Gayle as the second all-time leading run-scorer in the shortest format with 14,237 runs in 720 matches. The all-rounder has also been effective with his medium-pace bowling, picking up 333 scalps in T20s.

Pollard has been part of several title-winning sides around the globe, including the West Indies in their 2012 World Cup triumph.

Pooran picked one Englishman in Jos Buttler as part of his top five, thanks to the wicketkeeper batter's incredible T20 record. Buttler has amassed 13,507 runs in overall T20s at an average of over 35 and a strike rate of 35.63 in 473 outings.

The 35-year-old also led England to their second T20 World Cup title in the 2022 edition.

Nicholas Pooran rounds off his top five with two RCB legends

Nicholas Pooran's final two picks for all-time T20 batting were Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) legends, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Kohli is the third leading run-scorer in T20Is with 4,188 runs at an average of 48.69 in 125 games.

The champion batter is also IPL's all-time leading run-scorer with 8,661 runs, including eight centuries, in 267 matches. Kohli helped India and RCB win the T20 World Cup and IPL titles in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

Meanwhile, De Villiers holds the record for the most Player of the Match awards in IPL history with 25. The former right-hander is the eighth leading run-scorer in the IPL with 5,162 runs at an average of almost 40 and a strike rate of 151.68.

Nicholas Pooran's top five all-time T20 batters:

Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, Kieron Pollard, AB de Villiers, Jos Buttler

Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran