The greatest T20 player: Chris Gayle or Rohit Sharma?
Who has been the best so far in cricket's newest format? You get to decide
ESPNcricinfo staff
06-May-2020
One win away from the final. The player with more votes in this match-up progresses.
Voting closes at 6.30am GMT on Tuesday, May 12*.
Most runs. Most hundreds. Most sixes. Highest score. Fastest hundred. The one name that sits atop all these lists in T20s is Gayle's. He was an established international name by the time T20 cricket took root, but it's a format he made his own with his consistent big scoring across the world. The first to surpass the 10,000-mark in T20s, he still has a lead of over 3000 runs at the top. His 22 hundreds are 14 more than the next best, and he could become the first to hit 1000 sixes. He has won two T20 World Cups, and has impressive numbers in the tournament. Gayle's star turn in the world of T20 leagues began in the 2011 IPL, when he joined Royal Challengers Bangalore as a replacement player. He finished the season as the top run-scorer - a feat he would repeat in 2012 - and was named the MVP as his team made the final. After a third straight IPL season in which he made 600-plus runs, he led Jamaica Tallawahs to the title in the inaugural CPL in 2013. He added another title in 2016, and is the leading run scorer in the league. At 40, Gayle is past his prime, but he already has a record that will take some beating.
The most successful captain in the IPL, Rohit Sharma has led Mumbai Indians to four titles, and won a record five in all. He was the first Indian to score a T20 hundred, making a 45-ball 101 not out in a total of 145 for 5 way back in 2007, and was part of India's T20 World Cup success later the same year. His 2773 runs in T20Is are only surpassed by Virat Kohli, and his four hundreds are the most for any player. Sharma is also the third-highest run-getter in the IPL. A batsman who usually builds and then accelerates once in, Sharma has had success batting both at the top of the order and in the middle. He also has a hat-trick in the IPL, though it's been over five years since he's bowled in a T20 game.
This poll has ended. Here's the final result:
*The deadline had been extended and the poll was reset due to a technical glitch that didn't allow many readers to vote. All votes have been considered when tallying the final results.
Keep track of the greatest T20 player bracket here.