Ishan Kishan has become the Indian batter with the most T20I runs in a calendar year, surpassing former India captain Suryakumar Yadav’s record during the fifth and final T20I against New Zealand on Sunday.
The wicketkeeper-batter needed just six runs to go past Suryakumar’s tally of 1,164 runs, which he scored in 32 T20Is in 2022. Kishan broke the record in Hamilton, opening his account with a six off the fourth ball he faced at Seddon Park.
The left-handed batter went on to score 61 runs off 32 balls, hitting five fours and five sixes at a strike rate of 190.63. With this knock, Kishan took his tally to 1,220 runs in 37 T20Is in 2026, setting a new record for an Indian batter in the format.
World No. 1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma also had an opportunity to surpass Suryakumar Yadav’s record in the fifth T20I. However, the left-handed opener managed just one run off two deliveries before being dismissed by Adam Milne in the second over of India's innings.
Abhishek, who holds the record for the fastest T20I century by an Indian, has scored 1,153 runs in 39 T20Is in 2026, placing him third on India's list of leading run-scorers in the format this year.
Sanju Samson follows Kishan and Abhishek on the list with 810 runs in 30 T20Is. Samson, who won the Player of the Tournament award at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, managed just four runs off 10 balls against New Zealand.
While Kishan now holds the Indian record, the overall record for the most runs in T20Is in a calendar year belongs to Austria's Karanbir Singh. Karanbir scored 1,488 runs in 32 T20Is in 2025, making him the highest run-scorer in a single calendar year in men's T20I cricket.
Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan occupies the second spot on the all-time list. He amassed 1,326 runs in 29 T20Is in 2021 for Pakistan.