He fell two runs short of the most legendary record in T20 cricket. His name is Naman Dhir.
Two runs. That's how close Naman Dhir came to breaking the biggest individual score in T20 cricket history on Tuesday.
Opening the batting for Amritsar Soormas against Mohali Kings at the I.S. Bindra Stadium, the Mumbai Indians all-rounder scored 173 off just 64 balls. Sixteen fours. Twelve sixes. A strike rate past 270. He was finally caught in the last over, having taken his team to 279 for 7. Amritsar won by 67 runs.
The record he almost took down
Chris Gayle's 175 not out for Royal Challengers Bangalore has stood since 2013. It's survived a decade of IPL seasons, a couple of T20 World Cups, and every power-hitter who's tried to catch it. Nobody has gotten within 20 runs of it. Dhir got within two.
His 173 is now the second-highest individual score in T20 history. No Indian batter has ever scored more.
How it unfolded
Dhir opened with Sahaj Dhawan and didn't wait to settle in. He took Ayush Goyal for two sixes in the second over, then went after Lovedeep Charta for three fours and a six. Fifty came up off 19 balls. He reached his hundred in 36. Four overs were still left when he passed 150, off just 50 balls. Harshdeep Singh finally caught him off Ayush's bowling in the fourth ball of the last over.
He also broke KL Rahul's mark for the highest T20 score by an Indian batter, set just months ago in IPL 2026.
What social media said
The clip was everywhere within the hour. "History created in Sher-e-Punjab," one widely shared post read, pointing out he'd missed Gayle's record by two runs. Another was simpler: "The madness of Naman Dhir." A third summed up what a lot of Mumbai Indians fans were already thinking: "Mumbai Indians boy is ruling," with IPL 2027 still months away.
The bigger question
Dhir has mostly played the supporting role for Mumbai Indians, a handy middle-order hitter rather than a headline name. That's a hard case to make after today. MI's team management just watched their all-rounder come within two runs of history while opening the batting. If he isn't opening for them next IPL season, someone will have to explain why.
Sachin Tendulkar of India celebrates his 50th Test century during day 4 of the 1st Test match between South Africa and India at SuperSport Park on December 19, 2010 in Centurion, South Africa. Photo by Duif du Toit / Gallo Images/Getty Images
Cheteshwar Pujara of India celebrates after reaching his century during day one of the Fourth Test match in the series between Australia and India at Sydney Cricket Ground on January 03, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
