Guide · Batting numbers
What is a good batting average in ODIs, T20Is and the IPL?
A batting average is runs divided by the number of times a batter was out. In limited-overs cricket it has to be read next to the strike rate, because batters trade one for the other. Below are real benchmarks from 726 batters in the Beat My 11 data: 425 in ODIs, 161 in T20 internationals and 140 in the IPL, each with at least 500 balls faced.
The short version: the median is 30.6 in ODIs, 26.8 in T20Is and 28.4 in the IPL, and 40 is a top-quarter average in ODIs but a top-tenth one in T20 cricket.
Stats up to 5 October 2026 (ODI), 6 October 2026 (T20I) and 31 May 2026 (IPL).
Short answer. In ODIs an average of about 30.6 is average, 37.5 is good and 43.0 or more is elite. In T20Is the figures are 26.8, 31.4 and 35.5; in the IPL 28.4, 33.8 and 38.8.
The benchmarks
“Median” is the middle batter: half average more, half less. The top quarter and the top tenth start at the figures shown.
| Format | Batters | Lowest tenth below | Median | Top quarter from | Top tenth from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODI | 425 | 18.3 | 30.6 | 37.5 | 43.0 |
| T20I | 161 | 20.1 | 26.8 | 31.4 | 35.5 |
| IPL | 140 | 21.1 | 28.4 | 33.8 | 38.8 |
A T20 average is lower than an ODI one for the same skill: a T20 batter has fewer balls and more reason to swing at all of them. Read this page together with what is a good strike rate.
Is my average good?
The share of batters in each format who average at least each mark:
| Average of at least | Share of batters | Batters |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | 70% | 298 |
| 30 | 53% | 226 |
| 35 | 34% | 145 |
| 40 | 18% | 78 |
| 45 | 7% | 30 |
| Average of at least | Share of batters | Batters |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 90% | 145 |
| 25 | 65% | 104 |
| 30 | 33% | 53 |
| 35 | 12% | 19 |
| Average of at least | Share of batters | Batters |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 94% | 131 |
| 25 | 71% | 100 |
| 30 | 40% | 56 |
| 35 | 20% | 28 |
By position
The median career average for each job, using the position the game gives each player. Where fewer than five batters hold a position in a format it is left out.
| Position | ODI median | T20I median | IPL median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Openers | 34.3 | 28.4 | 32.4 |
| Middle-order batters | 33.0 | 28.2 | 28.6 |
| Wicketkeepers | 31.9 | 26.5 | 30.9 |
| All-rounders | 32.3 | 23.2 | 24.8 |
The highest averages
The eight highest career averages in each format among batters with at least 500 balls faced.
| Batter | Nation | Runs | Average | Strike rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shubman Gill | India | 3,712 | 65.1 | 103.5 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 15,109 | 59.0 | 94.4 |
| Matthew Breetzke | South Africa | 881 | 58.7 | 98.1 |
| Daryl Mitchell | New Zealand | 2,811 | 57.4 | 94.5 |
| Sanju Samson | India | 510 | 56.7 | 99.6 |
| Dawid Malan | England | 1,450 | 55.8 | 97.5 |
| Michael Bevan | Australia | 6,912 | 53.6 | 74.2 |
| AB de Villiers | South Africa | 9,577 | 53.5 | 101.1 |
| Batter | Nation | Runs | Average | Strike rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | India | 4,188 | 48.7 | 137.0 |
| Mohammad Rizwan | Pakistan | 3,414 | 47.4 | 125.4 |
| Manish Pandey | India | 709 | 44.3 | 126.2 |
| Tilak Varma | India | 1,666 | 43.8 | 143.7 |
| Babar Azam | Pakistan | 4,596 | 39.0 | 128.0 |
| Jean-Paul Duminy | South Africa | 1,934 | 38.7 | 126.2 |
| Michael Hussey | Australia | 721 | 38.0 | 136.3 |
| Kevin Pietersen | England | 1,176 | 37.9 | 141.5 |
| Batter | Teams | Runs | Average | Strike rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sai Sudharsan | GT | 2,515 | 48.4 | 149.2 |
| KL Rahul | DC, LSG, PBKS, RCB, SRH | 5,815 | 46.1 | 139.2 |
| Devon Conway | CSK | 1,080 | 43.2 | 139.7 |
| Heinrich Klaasen | RR, RCB, SRH | 2,104 | 42.1 | 166.7 |
| David Warner | DC, SRH | 6,565 | 40.5 | 139.8 |
| Virat Kohli | RCB | 9,336 | 40.4 | 134.8 |
| Shubman Gill | GT, KKR | 4,598 | 40.3 | 142.1 |
| Lendl Simmons | MI | 1,079 | 40.0 | 126.6 |
Look at the strike-rate column beside each average: a high average with a slow strike rate and a modest average with a fast one can be worth the same to a side. That is why the Beat My 11 engine weighs both, along with runs per match and the length of a career. The full method is on how it works.
How we counted
- Who is counted: batters with at least 500 balls behind their career figures, so that a few innings cannot skew the picture. The same minimum is used on the strike-rate guide.
- Who is in the data: players from the ten nations in the game (Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe). Afghanistan is not included, because Cricsheet withholds its matches.
- IPL careers add up every franchise a player turned out for. The IPL got faster over the years, so compare a modern average with a modern one where you can.
- Test cricket has its own pages: good Test batting average.
- Percentiles use linear interpolation, as a spreadsheet’s PERCENTILE function does.
Questions people ask
What is a good batting average in ODI cricket?
Among the 425 ODI batters in our data with at least 500 balls faced, the median average is 30.6. 37.5 or more is in the top quarter and 43.0 or more in the top tenth. Only 7% average 45 or better.
What is a good batting average in T20 cricket?
In T20 internationals (161 batters, 500+ balls) the median average is 26.8, the top quarter starts at 31.4 and the top tenth at 35.5. Averages are lower than in ODIs because T20 batters take more risks.
What is a good batting average in the IPL?
Across the 140 IPL batters in our data the median career average is 28.4. The top quarter starts at 33.8 and the top tenth at 38.8. IPL careers add together every franchise a player turned out for.
Is a batting average of 40 good in ODIs?
Yes. 18% of the ODI batters in our data average 40 or more, which is inside the top quarter (the top-quarter line is 37.5).
Is a T20 average of 30 good?
Yes. 33% of T20I batters in our data average 30 or more, and so do 40% of IPL batters, so it is above the middle in both.
Know what a good average looks like? Draft a T20I or ODI XI from real career numbers and see if it beats the World XI.
Draft a T20I XISources and data
Ball-by-ball match data: Cricsheet, used under the Open Data Commons Attribution licence (ODC-By). IPL figures cover every season from 2008 to the date above.
Official full-career averages for many ODI and T20I batters come from HowSTAT career tables, exported by the site owner. For the rest the average was measured on the ball-by-ball matches Cricsheet holds.