The shortest format of cricket has gained popularity even among fans who previously did not follow, let alone watch, the game because of the time it takes. For all the fans, we have sorted out the ultimate list of the best cricketers of the Twenty20 format of 2023 – the ultimate ‘T20I XI’.
List of Batsmen of ‘T20I XI’ of 2023
| BATSMEN | |||||||
| Cricketer | Country | Matches | Runs | Avg | Highest Score | 100’s | 50’s |
| Jos Buttler | England | 11 | 325 | 36.11 | 67 | 0 | 3 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | India | 18 | 733 | 48.86 | 112* | 2 | 5 |
| Babar Azam | Pakistan | 5 | 130 | 43.33 | 101* | 1 | 0 |
| Glenn Maxwell | Australia | 2 | 116 | 116.00 | 104* | 1 | 0 |
| David Miller | South Africa | 5 | 121 | 24.20 | 48 | 0 | 0 |
Jos Buttler: Batting Avg. 36.11
One of the world’s most reliable & specialist T20 players, Jos Buttler, is a no-brainer for this list. The consistency and brilliance of his performance in T20I over the years have made him into the list. He can surely be the opener too. Not only in the international matches, his performance in the T20 league tournaments like the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been equally remarkable.
Suryakumar Yadav: Batting Avg. 48.86
That monstrous batting average of nearly 50 in T20 in & of is an incredible feat. He has the required aggression and ability to make quick runs when the balls are really limited and the competition is too high. Not to mention he is also the highest run scorer of T20 players of 2023. And that 112* easily makes him the most feared bat for the opposition.
Even in the IPL he has excellent records with a total collection of 605 runs and an average of 43.21 in 2023. He was the 6th highest run scorer in the tournament.
Babar Azam: Batting Avg. 43.33
Yet another dominating batsman of T20 as well as a specialist of the format is the former Pakistan captain Babar Azam. He was in the discussion throughout 2023 for reasons beyond his T20 performances. His team didn’t get to play as many matches like many other teams but he took full advantage of whatever opportunity he was presented with.
With the average of 43.33 and a highest score of 101*, he surely knows how to mince the runs in the shortest format of the game. Even in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 he was magnificent scoring 522 runs with a menacing average of 52.20.
Glenn Maxwell: Batting Avg. 116.00
A devastator of any bowling squad, Glenn Maxwell, will always be remembered for his unfathomable performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup; however, his performance in the T20 format was nothing less of that either. He played only 2 matches in 2023 and his highest score was 104*! He also plays the role of an all-rounder.
In IPL 2023 he scored 400 runs with an average of 33.33 and this performance was decorated with a five half-centuries! No wonder, he is one of the most sought after players for the team owners.
David Miller: Batting Avg. 24.20
Miller’s consistency as a T20 batsman got him this place in this list, although his performance is equally brilliant. He played only 5 matches in 2023 and his highest score was 48 runs. The key to his excellent batting lies in his ability to find the right gap in the field to hit the ball at. He is also a regular middle-order batsman in the IPL team Gujarat Titans.
Virat Kohli: The King of Chasing
Virat Kohli was not there in the T20 format of the game in 2023. But after what he has done with the bat in the year, he becomes a mandatory player in each squad of batsmen of every format of the game. Added to that is his all-time average of 52.73 with a highest score of 122* in T20I making him one of the most desirable batsmen for the ‘T20I XI’ 0f 2023.
Virat’s ability to keep the runs coming while keeping the number of balls spent for the score is the reason he is known as the ‘King of Chasing’. He has been a regular player of the IPL since the beginning of the tournament and has taken the charge of captaincy of Royal Challengers Bangalore since 2013.
List of Bowlers of ‘T20I XI’ of 2023
| BOWLERS | |||||||
| Cricketer | Country | Matches | Wickets | Avg | Best Match | 4W | 5W |
| Shakib Al Hasan | Bangladesh | 8 | 12 | 12.75 | 5-22 | 0 | 1 |
| Haris Rauf | Pakistan | 5 | 11 | 13.63 | 4-18 | 2 | 0 |
| Anrich Nortje | South Africa | 2 | 3 | 17.66 | 2-36 | 0 | 0 |
| Shaheen Afridi | Pakistan | 5 | 6 | 26.16 | 2-33 | 0 | 0 |
| Kagiso Rabada | South Africa | 2 | 2 | 44.50 | 2-50 | 0 | 0 |
Shakib Al Hasan: Bowling Avg. 12.75
More often than not, the Bangladeshi captain is found leading the ranking table as an all-rounder and that monstrosity of an average of 12.75 in 8 matches as a bowler explains it all. He also happens to be the highest wicket-taker of 2023 in T20 matches and has a 5-wicket haul too- a rare sight indeed!
Shakib is a game-changer in any match, he has the ability to adjust and change his actions very quickly as per the demand of the match. That is the most sought after quality of a bowler in T20 matches. He has also been an excellent player in the IPL with many game-changing performances.
Haris Rauf: Bowling Avg. 13.63
Pakistan has always been known for making the best of bowlers over the previous few decades. But having an average of 13.63 in 5 matches with 11 wickets in one year- is something beyond just a ‘good bowler’. His key weapon is speed- the man is capable of delivering the ball at a consistent speed of 150 kmp/h and that is combined with an almost flawless length. On the other hand, he can be really unpredictable with slower deliveries too.
Anrich Nortje: Bowling Avg. 17.66
In T20 cricket, limiting the opposition’s run scoring is the ultimate goal, even if that means the bowlers have failed to take the wickets. With an average of 17.66, Anrich seals his position for the T20 XI of 2023. He has been among the Top 10 T20 bowlers of ICC ranking table since 2019. Like Rauf, he is also capable of throwing the ball at a consistent speed of 150 km/h.
Shaheen Afridi: Bowling Avg. 26.16
Shaheen Afridi, to put in simple words, is devastating to any batting line-up especially with his yorkers and in-swing deliveries. He is the 3rd bowler on this list with the capability to deliver a ball at a speed of 150 km/h consistently. He is one of the most impressive emerging T20 bowlers with a career total of 64 wickets and an average of 22.73 in international matches till date.
Kagiso Rabada: Bowling Avg. 44.50
Kagiso Rabada is one of the most remarkable young cricketers of 2023. He is feared by the batsmen for his tremendous accuracy with yorkers, added with the thunder bolting speed of 155 km/h. He has taken a career total of 58 wickets with an average of 29.88 in international matches till date. On the other hand, in 69 matches he played in the IPL he has taken a super impressive 106 wickets.
Some of the teams like Australia, India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka were playing more test matches than others and some others like Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, Afghanistan were playing more T20 matches than others. For these reasons, many expected players like Mitchel Starc, Pat Cummins, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja are not included in this list for there was not enough performance by them in 2023 to highlight here.
