DALLAS: Veteran West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard has overtaken Chris Gayle to become the highest run-scorer in men’s Twenty20 cricket, reaching the milestone with an unbeaten century for MI New York in Major League Cricket 2026.
Pollard achieved the landmark during MI New York’s match against Washington Freedom at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Sunday.
The century, only his second in the format, took Pollard’s Twenty20 career tally to 14,582 runs, putting him 20 runs ahead of Gayle, who finished with 14,562 runs after last appearing for Fortune Barishal in the Bangladesh Premier League in 2022.
Most runs in T20 career
Kieron Pollard (West Indies) – 14,582
Chris Gayle (West Indies) – 14,562
Alex Hales (England) – 14,449
Jos Buttler (England) – 14,371
David Warner (Australia) – 14,284
Virat Kohli (India) – 14,218
Shoaib Malik (Pakistan) – 13,571
Pollard hails Gayle
Reflecting on the achievement after MI New York’s 30-run defeat, Pollard described the moment as special and paid tribute to Gayle, who had held the record for 12 years.
“Surpassing Chris Gayle, someone we looked up to in the West Indies over a period of time, is special,” Pollard said.
“He has done great things in all formats of cricket, so again, sorry Universe Boss, but we are both at the top there,” he added.
Pollard also highlighted the challenge of scoring heavily while batting lower in the order, saying finishers often have to do the “dirty work”.
“I guess my role over time was to finish matches, and I embraced that,” he said.
