Jos Buttler surpasses Chris Gayle to climb to 2nd on all-time T20 run-scorers' list

England batter Jos Buttler has surpassed West Indies legend Chris Gayle to become the second-highest run-scorer across the T20 format. The wicketkeeper-batter achieved this feat during the Manchester Super Giants' opening game in The Hundred 2026 against the London Spirit on Thursday, July 23.

Buttler scored 16 runs from 11 balls before being dismissed by Adam Zampa. The former England captain, however, only needed six runs to overtake Gayle in the T20 run-scoring leaderboard. The right-handed batter is now just 231 runs behind the overall leader, Kieron Pollard, who is still an active player unlike his former international teammate. The 39-year-old recently played 11 times for MI New York, scoring 321 runs, including an unbeaten century.

Buttler had a torrid time in the shortest format of the game at the start of the year but slowly retained his true self as the year went by. He scored 526 runs during the 2026 Indian Premier League for the Gujarat Titans, taking the franchise to the final.

The 35-year-old would then go on to score his maiden T20 century in over two years when he hit 131 from 64 deliveries against India in the fifth T20I at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. Striking at 204.68, the opening batter smashed 12 fours and 8 sixes to help England secure a 4-0 series win against the defending T20 champions.

As things stand, Buttler has a great chance to catch Pollard and lead the T20 run-scoring charts outright. The former West Indies captain is well into the twilight of his career and might not have many opportunities to extend his lead at the top.

The Englishman, on the other hand, is still an important player on the international stage and plays franchise cricket worldwide, including the IPL, The Hundred and the SA20 in South Africa. He also recently penned a new three-year contract with Lancashire, making him available for selection in the T20 Blast.