A West Indies left-hander dominating T20 cricket while striking sixes at will? You’d be forgiven for thinking we’ve been here before. But Nicholas Pooran, the 29-year-old Trinidadian stroke-maker, is carving out a legacy all his own—one that might soon rival, and perhaps even surpass, the legendary exploits of Chris Gayle.
According to data from the BBC, Pooran has seemingly mastered the art of T20 batting, combining ferocious power with an unusual level of consistency. Since the start of 2023, no one in the world has scored more T20 runs—738 more, in fact—than Pooran. He averages 42.31 and strikes at an astonishing 162.49. In the high-risk world of T20s, batters are typically dominant in either average or strike-rate. Pooran is doing both.
And when the timeframe is condensed, the numbers get even more absurd. Over his last 10 innings, Pooran is averaging 57.7 with a strike-rate of 199. In that time, he has cleared the ropes 211 times—nearly twice as many sixes as his closest competitor, South Africa's Heinrich Klaasen, who has 124.
Pooran’s blistering form in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) has further solidified his elite status. His scores of 70, 75, 44, 12, and an unbeaten 87 have him averaging 4.8 sixes per match this season—breaking Gayle’s long-standing record of 3.9 sixes per game during his peak in 2012.
“I don’t plan to hit sixes,” Pooran said earlier this season. “I just try my best to get in good positions and if it’s there, just time the ball nicely.”
That simplicity belies the sheer dominance of his technique and shot selection. He’s regarded as one of the world’s best hitters of spin, particularly in the IPL where he has amassed 448 runs at an average of 89.6 and a strike-rate of 184.4 against slow bowlers over the past two seasons for the Lucknow Super Giants.
But he’s just as destructive against pace. His strike-rate is 173.5 against left-arm quicks and 163.5 against right-arm pacers. According to CricViz, Pooran strikes at over 200 against every line of pace bowling at the death—except yorkers, where his strike-rate still clocks in at a formidable 166.
“His mindset is absolutely second to none and he is fully committed. There are no half-hearted swings,” said former England all-rounder Samit Patel, who has played alongside Pooran at both Trinbago Knight Riders and MI Emirates. “The amount of training he does to try and hit sixes is phenomenal. If the ball lands in a certain area, he’s trained so it is natural to him [to hit sixes].”
Even his choice of shots has data-busting numbers. Since 2023, Pooran scores at 344.7 runs per 100 balls when playing the slog sweep, 266.7 on the hook shot, and 234.7 when pulling.
The Lucknow Super Giants and the West Indies have both taken to using Pooran at number three, giving him access to all three phases of the innings—powerplay, middle overs, and death. It’s a tactical move that has paid massive dividends.
CricViz’s 'batting impact' model reveals that Pooran is the only player in the world averaging an impact score above four in all three phases of a T20 innings since 2023. That level of all-round threat is nearly unheard of.
Of course, every batter has a weakness. Pooran averages 31.5 and strikes at 108.6 against left-arm wrist-spin. He’s also slightly vulnerable to bouncers just outside off stump. But if bowlers stray too wide, he averages 55.5. Bowl too straight, and that number jumps to 126.
“Because he hits 360 degrees he is very difficult to bowl at,” said Patel. “From a spinner’s point of view, we try to make him cut the ball. If he hits fours it’s OK. When he hits sixes, we know he is dangerous.”
Dangerous? Perhaps. But for now, Nicholas Pooran is something more—he’s rewriting the rules of modern-day T20 batting. And he’s just getting started.