Karanbir Singh, an Austrian cricketer, has achieved a monumental milestone in men’s T20 International cricket, breaking the calendar-year run record previously held by Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan and India’s Suryakumar Yadav.
While on tour in Romania, Karanbir needed just 87 runs to surpass Rizwan’s 2021 record of 1,326 runs. He swiftly accomplished this feat with an impressive 57 runs off 27 balls, followed by a brilliant 90 off 46 deliveries in a double-header on October 18. The following day, he continued his scoring spree, adding 74 runs from 44 balls and another 27 from just 12 balls. This incredible performance brought his annual T20I tally to a remarkable 1,488 runs across 32 innings.
Singh’s achievement is particularly notable for his aggressive style of play. His 1,488 runs were scored at an exceptional strike-rate of 175, featuring 127 fours and an astonishing 122 sixes. This six-count is almost double that of Suryakumar Yadav’s previous high of 68 sixes in 2022.
Before Singh’s historic year, the top record holders were Mohammad Rizwan with 1,326 runs in 2021 and Suryakumar Yadav with 1,164 runs in 2022. This new benchmark represents a significant advancement for Austrian cricket on the global stage.
Most runs in a calendar year in T20Is
| Player | Year | Matches | Runs | HS | Ave. | SR | 100s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karanbir Singh (Austria) | 2025 | 32 | 1488 | 115 | 51.31 | 174.85 | 2 | 122 |
| Mohammad Rizwan (PAK) | 2021 | 29 | 1326 | 104* | 73.66 | 134.89 | 1 | 42 |
| Suryakumar Yadav (IND) | 2022 | 31 | 1164 | 117 | 46.56 | 187.43 | 2 | 68 |
| Bilal Zalmai (Austria) | 2025 | 36 | 1008 | 79* | 31.50 | 155.07 | – | 57 |
| Mohammad Rizwan (PAK) | 2022 | 25 | 996 | 88* | 45.27 | 122.96 | – | 22 |
The same series also saw Karanbir’s teammate, Bilal Zalmai, reach 1,008 runs, becoming the fourth player worldwide to cross the 1,000-run mark in a calendar year. Bahrain’s Fiaz Ahmed is also close to joining this elite group, needing just 57 more runs.
Karanbir Singh’s phenomenal year shines a bright light on the growing talent within associate-nation cricket. His remarkable consistency and explosive batting prove that exceptional cricketing prowess and record-breaking achievements are no longer exclusive to the traditional cricketing powerhouses. This accomplishment sets a significant new standard for batsmen across the globe and highlights the increasing depth and widespread appeal of the T20 format.