T20 World Cup 2026: Top 3 run-getters after group stage | CricTracker

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 got underway on February 7 with 20 teams spread across four groups, and from the very start, it has been a tournament that allowed little margin for error. With only eight sides progressing to the Super Eight stage, batters were required to deliver consistently rather than rely on isolated bursts of form. That challenge was heightened by a variety of conditions.

What has added to the intrigue is the nature of the tournament itsel  f, packed with close finishes, tense chases, and associate nations pushing established sides deep into games. In a competition filled with thrillers, the top three run-getters stood out not merely for the volume of runs they scored, but for their ability to read conditions, control tempo, and construct innings when scoring was far from easy.

Here are the top 3 run-getters from T20 WC 2026 group stage

3. Kusal Mendis (Sri Lanka) – 182 runs

Kusal Mendis’ presence on this list underlined how effectively Sri Lanka’s batters made use of home conditions. Across four matches and four innings, he scored 182 runs at an average of 60.67 and a strike rate of 124.66, finding the boundary 18 times and clearing it once. Finishing as the second Sri Lankan among the top three run-getters reflected a broader understanding within the batting group of how to score on surfaces that rewarded patience, rotation, and shot selection over pure power.

Mendis set the tone early in the tournament with three consecutive half-centuries against Oman, Ireland, and Australia, anchoring the innings when scoring became increasingly difficult through consolidation overs. Rather than chasing an inflated strike rate, he focused on working the field, using soft hands and precise placement against spin to keep the scoreboard moving.