On Thursday, February 12, during the 18th match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, Indian opener Ishan Kishan turned into a whirlwind with the bat against Namibia. Ishan scored a stupendous 61 runs off just 24 balls, which included six fours and five towering sixes. Right from the start, Ishan was in an attacking mood, leaving Namibian bowlers dazed with his fiery strikes. In just 20 deliveries, he reached his half-century mark.
Ishan Kishan particularly went after JJ Smit in the sixth over. While the first ball resulted in no run, the subsequent four balls soared over the boundary for consecutive sixes, followed by a four on the last ball. Ishan amassed 28 runs in JJ Smit's over, capping it as the joint second-most scored by an Indian batsman in a single over in T20 World Cup history.
Matching Rohit Sharma's feat, Ishan equaled the record of smashing 28 runs in a single over, a similar achievement made by Rohit against Australia's Mitchell Starc in the 2024 T20 World Cup. Yuvraj Singh holds the record, scoring 36 runs in one over against England's Stuart Broad in the 2007 T20 World Cup with six consecutive sixes.
Now ranked fourth among the fastest T20 World Cup half-century scorers for India, Ishan Kishan trails only Yuvraj Singh, KL Rahul, and Rohit Sharma. He also became the third Indian batsman to register a half-century within the powerplay in a T20 World Cup match, completing his illustrious innings between Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul's similar achievements. Notably, Ishan is the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a half-century in T20 World Cup history.
12 balls - Yuvraj Singh vs. England, Durban, 2007
18 balls - KL Rahul vs. Scotland, Dubai, 2021
19 balls - Rohit Sharma vs. Australia, Gros Islet, 2024
20 balls - Yuvraj Singh vs. Australia, Durban, 2007
20 balls - Ishan Kishan vs. Namibia, Delhi, 2026
India’s T20 World Cup Powerplay Fifties:
51* (21) - Rohit Sharma vs. Australia, Gros Islet, 2024
50 (19) - KL Rahul vs. Scotland, Dubai, 2021
50 (20) - Ishan Kishan vs. Namibia, Delhi, 2026
In this match, the Indian team swept to a record 100 runs in just 6.5 overs, marking the fastest team century in T20 World Cup history, surpassing the previous record of Netherlands achieving the feat in 7 overs against Ireland at Sylhet in 2014.
Highest Powerplay Scores in T20 World Cup:
92/1 - West Indies vs. Afghanistan, Gros Islet, 2024
91/1 - Netherlands vs. Ireland, Sylhet, 2014
89/3 - England vs. South Africa, Wankhede, 2016
86/1 - India vs. Namibia, Delhi, 2026
India’s Highest Powerplay Scores in T20 Internationals:
95/1 vs. England, Wankhede, 2025
94/2 vs. New Zealand, Guwahati, 2026
86/1 vs. Namibia, Delhi, 2026
82/2 vs. Scotland, Dubai, 2021
82/1 vs. Bangladesh, Hyderabad, 2024
Indian Half-Centuries in Powerplay in T20Is:
Abhishek Sharma (three times)
Rohit Sharma (twice)
Ishan Kishan (twice)
KL Rahul (once)
Yashasvi Jaiswal (once)