The 17th edition of the Asia Cup will kick off on September 19, 2025, bringing another chapter to one of Asia’s most celebrated cricket tournaments. But who dominated the tournament and scored the most runs in Asia Cup?
Since its inception in 1984, the Asia Cup has witnessed some of the finest batting displays, with players from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh dominating the charts. It is noted that Asia Cup is played in a rotational format; 20 overs and 50 overs.
Over the years, legends like Sanath Jayasuriya, Virat Kohli, and Kumar Sangakkara have conquered the tournament, setting benchmarks for consistency and match-winning knocks. Here’s a look at the top 10 highest run-scorers in Asia Cup history.
Most Runs in Asia Cup All Format
Sri Lankan great Sanath Jayasuriya holds the record for the most runs in Asia Cup history across all formats. He played 25 matches and scored 1,220 runs with an impressive average of 53.04, including six centuries, the highest by any player in the tournament. Interestingly, no other batter has managed to score more than four centuries in the tournament, which shows his dominance.
| Player | Team | Matches | Runs | Highest Score |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka | 25 | 1,220 | 130 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 24 | 1,075 | 121 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 26 | 1,036 | 183 |
| Shoaib Malik | Pakistan | 21 | 907 | 143 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 27 | 892 | 111* |
| Arjuna Ranatunga | Sri Lanka | 19 | 741 | 131* |
| Mushfiqur Rahim | Bangladesh | 24 | 740 | 144 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 28 | 674 | 78 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan | Sri Lanka | 20 | 647 | 119 |
| MS Dhoni | India | 19 | 648 | 109* |
ST Jayasuriya tops the list of most runs in Asia Cup with 1220 runs in 25 matches. Behind him, Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara (1,075 runs in 24 matches) and India’s Virat Kohli (1,036 runs in 19 matches) are also among the top run-getters all time.
Most Runs in Asia Cup by Indian Player: For India, Virat Kohli scored the most runs in Asia Cup in all formats. He has 1171 runs in the tournament – 742 in ODI and 429 in T20. Also, he is the highest run scorer in T20 format globally.
Most Runs in Asia Cup ODI
In ODI format, Sanath Jayasuriya holds the record for the most runs. He scored 1220 runs in 25 matches. He is followed by Kumar Sangakkara and Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 1075 and 971 runs respectively. This trio has not played any matches in the T20 format, as all the games in the Asia Cup were in the 50-over format at that time.
| Player | Team | Matches | Runs |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka | 25 | 1220 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 24 | 1075 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 23 | 971 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 28 | 939 |
| Mushfiqur Rahim | Bangladesh | 25 | 830 |
| Shoaib Malik | Pakistan | 17 | 786 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 16 | 742 |
| Arjuna Ranatunga | Sri Lanka | 19 | 741 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 28 | 674 |
| MS Dhoni | India | 19 | 648 |
Most Runs in Asia Cup T20 Format
Virat Kohli holds the record for the most runs in the Asia Cup T20 format, having scored 429 runs in 10 matches. He has an astounding average of 85.80, and with 122 not out, he is also the top scorer in T20 format. Virat is followed by Mohammad Rizwan of Pakistan (281 runs), RG Sharma (271 runs), and others.
| Player | Team | Matches | Runs |
| Virat Kohli | India | 10 | 429 |
| Mohammad Rizwan | Pakistan | 9 | 281 |
| Ibrahim Zadran | Afghanistan | 5 | 196 |
| Pathum Nissanka | Sri Lanka | 6 | 173 |
| Bhanuka Rajapaksa | Sri Lanka | 6 | 191 |
| Kusal Mendis | Sri Lanka | 6 | 155 |
| Rohit Sharma | India | 9 | 144 |
| Najibullah Zadran | Afghanistan | 5 | 133 |
| KL Rahul | India | 6 | 132 |
| Asif Ali | Pakistan | 6 | 120 |
Kohli’s skill to stay at the crease and speed up the scoring when required makes him the most dependable batter in this format. Players like Mohammad Rizwan and Rohit Sharma have done well too, but Kohli’s numbers prove why he is often called the king of cricket tournaments.
