Naman Dhir produced one of the most breathtaking batting performances in T20 cricket on Tuesday, smashing 173 off just 64 balls for Amritsar Soormas against Mohali Kings in the Mankind Pharma Sher-E-Punjab T20 League.
Dhir’s sensational innings featured 16 fours and 12 sixes, as he powered Amritsar to a mammoth 279/7 at the I.S. Bindra Stadium, Mohali. He reached his century in just 37 balls and continued his assault deep into the innings.
His 173 took him to within just two runs of Chris Gayle’s famous 175*, the highest individual score in T20 cricket.
Here is a look at five of the biggest individual scores in recognised T20 cricket, with Dhir’s stunning knock now sitting among the most remarkable scores of the format.
1. Chris Gayle – 175* off 66 balls
Team: Royal Challengers Bangalore
Opponent: Pune Warriors India
Tournament: IPL 2013
Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Chris Gayle’s name remains at the top of the T20 record books after his unforgettable 175 not out off 66 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2013 IPL.
Gayle smashed 13 fours and 17 sixes in an innings that remains one of the most destructive displays in the history of the shortest format.
His 175* is still the benchmark for individual scoring in T20 cricket, with Gayle’s record having survived more than a decade of power-hitting evolution.
2. Naman Dhir – 173 off 64 balls
Team: Amritsar Soormas
Opponent: Mohali Kings
Tournament: Sher-E-Punjab T20 League 2026
Venue: I.S. Bindra Stadium, Mohali
Naman Dhir came agonisingly close to Gayle’s long-standing record with a stunning 173 off 64 balls.
Opening the innings for Amritsar Soormas, Dhir initially took his time before launching an extraordinary attack on the Mohali bowling unit. His innings included 16 fours and 12 sixes, giving him a strike rate of more than 270.
He brought up his century in only 37 balls and continued to dominate after reaching three figures. His 173 became the highest individual score in the history of the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League.
The innings also took Dhir just two runs short of Gayle’s world record, making it one of the most memorable T20 knocks in recent times.
3. Aaron Finch – 172 off 76 balls
Team: Australia
Opponent: Zimbabwe
Tournament: T20 International
Venue: Harare Sports Club
Aaron Finch holds the record for the highest individual score in men’s T20 Internationals after smashing 172 against Zimbabwe in 2018.
Finch’s innings came from 76 balls and included 16 sixes and 10 fours. His assault helped Australia post a huge total and remains the highest individual score in T20I cricket.
Interestingly, Dhir’s 173 is one run higher than Finch’s T20I record, although the two innings belong to different levels of recognised T20 cricket.
4. Hamza Khan – 164* off 65 balls
Team: Rwanda
Opponent: Ivory Coast
Tournament: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Sub-Regional Qualifier 2026
Venue: Botswana Cricket Association Oval
Rwanda’s Hamza Khan produced a sensational 164 not out off 65 balls against Ivory Coast earlier in 2026.
His innings contained nine fours and 15 sixes, coming at a remarkable strike rate of 252.30. It was, at the time, the second-highest individual score in men’s T20Is, behind Finch’s 172.
Khan’s innings helped Rwanda post 288/2, before Ivory Coast were bowled out for just 17.
5. Karanbir Singh – 164 off 57 balls
Team: Austria
Opponent: Hungary
Tournament: T20 International
Venue: Szodliget, Hungary
Austria’s Karanbir Singh also produced a 164-run masterclass in 2026, smashing 164 off just 57 balls against Hungary.
Singh’s innings included 18 fours and 12 sixes and came at a stunning strike rate of 287.71. His assault helped Austria reach 322/7, one of the biggest totals in T20I cricket.
The knock also placed Singh among the most explosive individual performers in men’s T20I cricket.
The numbers behind Naman Dhir’s 173
Dhir’s innings was remarkable not only because of the final score but also because of how quickly he reached each milestone.
- 173 runs off 64 balls
- 16 fours
- 12 sixes
- 37-ball century
- Strike rate: 270.31
- 279/7 – Amritsar Soormas’ total
Dhir’s 173 also accounted for 112 runs in boundaries, meaning a huge chunk of his innings came through fours and sixes.
How close was Dhir to Chris Gayle?
Very close.
Gayle’s 175* remains the highest individual score in T20 cricket, while Dhir stopped at 173 – just two runs short.
That makes Dhir’s innings particularly special. While Gayle’s record remains intact, Dhir has now produced one of the closest challenges to the legendary mark.
Editorial note: Record lists can vary depending on whether they include every domestic T20 competition or only matches classified under specific recognised categories. The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians currently lists Gayle’s 175*, Finch’s 172 and other recognised T20 scores at the top of its overall Twenty20 records.
For Dhir, however, the significance of the innings is clear: 173 off 64 balls has placed his name alongside some of the greatest individual batting performances the shortest format has produced.
