Top 10 boundary hitters who will light up T20 cricket in 2026
Since the inception of the Indian Premier League in 2008, franchise T20 cricket has grown rapidly and arguably surpassed its international counterpart, with more T20 leagues sprouting up in various cricket-playing nations around the world.
Today, the SA20, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), the Pakistan Super League (PSL), the Emirati International League T20 (ILT20), and Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) are some of the most followed T20 leagues in the world after the IPL.
The T20 format needs a different kind of skill set than the longer formats, which demand patience, technique, and temperament for enduring success. T20 requires hard-hitting batting with high strike rates and bowlers who can impact the game in a handful of deliveries.
When it comes to batting, the format favours those who can improvise, clear the boundaries at will, and score over a strike rate of at least 130. Here, we present our pick of ten hard-hitting batters who will light up T20 cricket in 2026.
10. Rovman Powell
Rovman Powell is a massive hitter of the ball in characteristic Caribbean fashion and was one of the best players in the CPL last season, scoring at a high rate. The Jamaican played nine games for the Barbados Royals, scoring 241 runs at a rate of 183.97 and hitting 13 fours and 22 sixes.
In the IPL, Powell debuted with the Delhi Capitals in 2022 but he couldn’t showcase his hitting prowess right away. However, he is a consistent performer in the CPL and is currently also a part of the West Indies setup in the T20 format.
The 32-year-old’s six-hitting is incredible, as he can clear the ropes with considerable ease at even the biggest grounds in the world. Once he gets going, his runs mostly arrive through boundaries and hardly from running between the wickets.
9. Phil Salt
The well-established Welsh opener played in several T20 leagues last season. In the IPL, he played for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and helped them to a historic first title, which was also his second consecutive IPL title, having helped the Kolkata Knight Riders the year before. Back home, in The Hundred, he has represented Manchester Originals, while in the ILT20 he has played for the Desert Vipers and the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.
The right-handed England international starts hitting from the first ball, needing little time to settle on the pitch. For RCB last season, he scored 403 runs in 13 games with a huge strike rate of 175.98, hitting a total of 48 fours and 22 sixes and registering the fastest half-century for RCB in a play-off game (50 off 23).
There’s no reason to doubt that the 29-year-old can replicate his 2025 form next year. His ability to quickly get going will be needed in particular by RCB for their IPL title defence as well as by England at the T20 World Cup.
8. Urvil Patel
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Urvil Patel was roped in by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as a replacement for the injured Vansh Bedi ahead of the 2025 IPL season. On his IPL debut, he scored 31 off 11 balls against KKR, showing a glimpse of what he is capable of. Even though Patel only played three games for CSK, his strike rate of 212.50 was enough to prove that, if given more playing minutes, he could excel in the middle order for the Yellow Brigade and even act as a finisher.
The Gujarat batter also holds the record for the joint-fastest hundred in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, having scored 100 off just 28 balls in 2024 against Tripura. The 27-year-old remains active in the domestic circuit and last month marked his T20 captaincy debut for Gujarat’s opening game against Services with a swashbuckling 119 off just 31 balls, hitting 12 fours and 10 sixes along the way to make a chase of 183 look ordinary.
If CSK and MS Dhoni show their faith in him, then Patel could very well be one of the top performers in the IPL next season.
7. Dewald Brevis
Nicknamed “Baby AB” after South African legend AB de Villiers, famously one of the most explosive batters of the shorter format ever, Dewald Brevis is well on his way to realising his potential.
For CSK last IPL season, Brevis came in as a replacement for the injured Gurjapneet Singh and had an immediate impact, even though the team struggled as a whole. In six games, he accumulated 225 runs with a strike rate of 180, registering two half-centuries and striking 13 fours and 17 sixes.
The 22-year-old is a hard-hitting right-hander who has the ability to go long distances effortlessly. He can also improvise and has a wide range of shots in his arsenal. In the last SA20 season, he played 12 games for the Pretoria Capitals and scored 291 runs with a strike rate of 184.18, hitting 17 fours and 25 sixes. The South Africa international is definitely one of those players who can set the stage alight wherever they play.
6. Mitchell Owen
Australian all-rounder Mitchell Owen is one of the most fearsome strikers in the T20 format currently. Playing for the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League, the 24-year-old started as a middle-order batter before becoming an opener.
In the last BBL season, Owen played eight matches, scoring 333 runs at a strike rate of 226.5, hitting an incredible 22 fours and 31 sixes. He also participated in the PSL, where again he impressively struck at a rate of 192.45 in eight games, hitting five fours and 11 sixes. In Major League Cricket, he played for the Washington Freedom and accumulated 313 runs in 12 games at a strike rate of 194.40, hitting 28 fours and 22 sixes. Owen’s performances haven’t gone unnoticed by the Australian selectors, and he has found a regular place in the T20I setup.
Owen isn’t just a hard-hitting batter; he is also a handy bowler capable of taking important wickets. This makes him a superb asset for any T20 franchise. Currently employed by the Punjab Kings in the IPL, if given a chance, he could soon establish himself as one of the hottest T20 prospects in the world.
5. Vaibhav Suryavanshi
In the IPL earlier this year, 14-year-old Indian batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest centurion in men’s T20 cricket when he smashed 101 off 38 balls for the Rajasthan Royals against the Gujarat Titans, astounding one and all with his prodigious talent.
Hailing from Bihar, the talented opener keeps surprising those around him with his powerful hitting and stroke play, despite having barely reached adolescence. In the seven matches he played for RR, Suryavanshi amassed 252 runs at a strike rate of 206.55, hitting a staggering 18 fours and 24 sixes.
Suryavanshi has also been part of the India A tours this year, having also performed exceptionally well in the domestic T20 tournaments. In 18 domestic T20 outings, he has scored 701 runs at a strike rate of 204.37, hitting 53 fours and 62 sixes.
It’s scary to think how much Suryavanshi is able to deliver on the top level at an age where many begin their journey in the youth circuits; imagine what he can do with a little more experience. Without a doubt, he is one of the most exciting young talents to emerge this year, and we cannot wait to see what he achieves in 2026.
4. Tim David
Tim David is another power striker in the T20 format who is feared by one and all. The tall Australian is a middle-order batter who generally finishes matches for his teams. His brute strength enables him to clear boundaries with ease, no matter the size of the ground.
Playing in the IPL last season, the 29-year-old was pivotal for RCB during their title-winning run, scoring 187 runs in 12 games with a strike rate of 185.14 and smashing 16 fours and 14 sixes. He played for the Hobart Hurricanes in the 2024/25 BBL season, scoring 254 runs in 11 games with a strike rate of 177.62, hitting 20 fours and 17 sixes along the way. Meanwhile, in the last CPL campaign, he played 11 games for the Saint Lucia Kings and amassed 212 runs in 11 games with a strike rate of 153.62, hitting 11 fours and 17 sixes.
The explosive Aussie batter can take away the game from the opponent in a matter of minutes. Given the consistency he has shown since last season, there’s no reason why David cannot assist RCB and Australia next year in mounting title challenges in the IPL and at the T20 World Cup, respectively.
3. Romario Shepherd
Romario Shepherd displayed his incredible ball-hitting ability in the IPL last season when he smashed 33 runs in the 19th over against DC to help RCB reach a massive total of 213; RCB would go on to win the game.
Even though he didn’t get to bat much for RCB due to international duty and coming late down the order, Shepherd did manage to play another crucial innings against CSK, where he smashed 53* off 14 to once again demonstrate his reliably explosive talent.
The 31-year-old had an unbelievable strike rate of 291.67 in the 2025 IPL season — the highest for any batter in the tournament. He also played for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL, where he scored 197 runs in 12 games, hitting 12 fours and 16 sixes with a strike rate of 177.47.
Shepherd is an all-rounder and plays lower down the order, generally playing the role of a finisher. He can also take crucial wickets, which is always a massive advantage in this format. His ability to hit fours and sixes at will to absolutely annihilate opposition bowling at the death will certainly prove to be a masterstroke for his teams in the upcoming year as well.
2. Nicholas Pooran
One of the most dangerous hitters in the short format, Nicholas Pooran is a batter no bowler wants to face. He was in mind-blowing form in the IPL last time out and accumulated 524 runs in 14 games for the Lucknow Super Giants, smashing 45 fours and 40 sixes at a mammoth strike rate of 196.25. Even though his franchise didn’t perform well overall, the Trinidadian middle-order wicketkeeper-batter looked otherworldly with the bat.
Pooran is a clean hitter who can easily send the ball over the boundary. It doesn’t matter who is in front of him, as he takes the bowlers to the cleaners. With the 2026 T20 World Cup approaching, the West Indies might look to him to provide match-winning scores. Without a doubt, wherever he plays next year, Pooran is again going to show his hitting prowess to the world.
1. Abhishek Sharma
Abhishek Sharma is the current No. 1 T20 batter in the ICC world rankings. The left-handed opener has slowly become India’s most important player. Be it his IPL franchise, the Sunrisers Hyderabad, or Team India, the southpaw provides the much-needed impetus at the start of the innings.
The 25-year-old always had potential, but he is slowly and surely realising it now. In the 2025 IPL season, he opened the innings for SRH in 14 games, scoring 439 runs and blasting 46 fours and 28 sixes with a strike rate of 193.39. With the help of his explosive starts, SRH reached massive totals on several occasions. For Team India as well, the young Punjab batter has risen to the occasion in high-pressure games and also proved pivotal in his side’s Asia Cup title win.
Sharma’s performances in the domestic setup have been incredible as well. He also holds a joint record for the fastest century in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, having cracked a 100 in just 28 balls against Meghalaya last year.
With both the T20 World Cup and the IPL on the horizon, Sharma is certainly getting ready to be a key presence in the Indian and SunRisers camps next year.
