Most Centuries In T20 World Cup History

Chris Gayle has the most centuries in T20 WC's (X)Chris Gayle has the most centuries in T20 WC's (X)

Scoring a century in T20 cricket is a remarkable feat, demanding a blend of skill, precision, and audacity. Achieving this on the grand stage of the T20 World Cup elevates the accomplishment even further. Over the tournament’s 17-year history, only a handful of individuals have managed to reach this milestone.

Celebrating the ongoing 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA, here at OneCricket, we highlight three such players who have accounted for the most centuries on the format’s biggest stage.

Top Three Players With Most T20 World Cup Centuries 

*Gayle has two centuries, other players make the list on the basis of strike-rates.

3. Rilee Rossouw - 109 (56) vs Bangladesh

Rilee Rossouw celebrating his century against BAN in 2022 T20 World Cup (x.com)Rilee Rossouw celebrating his century against BAN in 2022 T20 World Cup (x.com)

Only 11 centuries have been recorded so far in T20 World Cup matches, and South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw holds the prestigious honour of smacking one of the fastest of them all. The dashing left-hander hit his lone T20 World Cup century by taking Bangladesh bowlers to the cleaners during the 2022 edition at the SCG.

Maintaining a staggering strike-rate of 194.64, the cricketer pounded 109 runs from 56 balls, and reached his century from just 52 deliveries. Notably, Rossouw’s 109 also marks one of the rare instances in T20I history where an individual outscored his opposition’s entire response (Bangladesh 101 all out).

2. Brendon McCullum - 123 (58) vs Bangladesh

Brendon McCullum celebrating his century in 2012 T20 World Cup (AP)Brendon McCullum celebrating his century in 2012 T20 World Cup (AP)

Legendary New Zealander Brendon McCullum flogged Bangladesh bowlers with a sizzling 123-run knock from just 58 balls during a Group D game from the 2012 T20 World Cup at Pallekele. To date, the innings remains the highest individual score ever recorded in a T20 World Cup game.

McCullum bashed 11 boundaries and seven sixes in his turbulent match-winning knock, where he maintained a strike-rate of 212.06.

1. Chris Gayle - 2 centuries - 117 (57) & 100* (48) 

Chris Gayle celebrating his match-winning 100* against England in 2016 (x.com)Chris Gayle celebrating his match-winning 100* against England in 2016 (x.com)

West Indies’ T20 barbarian Chris Gayle is the only individual in format’s World Cup history to have listed more than one century. While the legendary opener smacked the first-ever T20 World Cup hundred back in 2007 at Johannesburg, the broad-shouldered opener also thwarted a raging English attack at the Wankhede Stadium in 2016.

Notably, Gayle’s 48-ball 100* from the 2016 T20 World Cup also set the tone of West Indies’ victorious title-winning run in India.