South African batter Luan-dre Pretorius has broken Chris Gayle’s long-standing record for the highest individual score in men’s T20 cricket. The 20-year-old Pretorius scored an unbeaten 188 runs playing for Titans against Knights in the CSA T20 Challenge, South Africa’s domestic T20 cricket competition, on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
Pretorius, a wicketkeeper-batter, achieved his record-breaking innings off just 79 balls, hitting 15 fours and 13 sixes. His explosive batting propelled Titans, a South African domestic cricket team, to a total of 267 for three wickets in their 20 overs. This score marks the second-highest team total in the history of the CSA T20 Challenge.
The previous record for the highest individual score in T20 cricket was held by Chris Gayle, who scored an unbeaten 175 runs from 66 balls. Gayle achieved this feat for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors India in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on April 23, 2013. Pretorius’s 188 runs fell just 12 runs short of becoming the first double century in T20 cricket.
During his innings, Pretorius reached his half-century in 24 balls and then completed his century in an additional 16 balls, bringing his hundred up in just 40 deliveries. He also equalled Australian cricketers Aaron Finch and Marcus Stoinis for the fewest balls to reach 150 runs in T20 cricket, though some records indicate Dewald Brevis reached 150 runs in fewer balls and Marcus Stoinis took more balls to score 147 runs.
This match was Pretorius’s first of the 2026-27 season. He has been in formidable form, having scored 94 and 101 runs respectively in his last two matches during a T20 triangular series against Zimbabwe and Namibia in September 2026. His 101 against Namibia marked his first T20 international century. Pretorius made his international debut for South Africa in Test, One-Day International, and T20 International formats in 2025, becoming the youngest South African player to score a Test century at 19 years old.
Before Pretorius’s record-breaking performance, the highest individual score in the CSA T20 Challenge was 162 runs, made by Dewald Brevis, another South African cricketer and Titans player, against Knights on October 31, 2022. The highest team score in the CSA T20 Challenge remains 271 for three wickets, also set by Titans against Knights on October 31, 2022.
The CSA Pro20 Cup 2026 games commenced on October 2, 2026, with Knights having played against Dafabet Boland on the opening day. The Titans’ squad for the 2026/27 season has already been announced.
