West Indies’ chase of 252 against India in the second T20I at Ranchi on 9 October 2026 now stands as the second-highest successful run chase in T20I history. In a format where totals above 200 are already considered competitive, a chase of this size places the match firmly among the most productive run pursuits ever recorded in men’s T20Is.
Where the 252 chase sits in the all-time list
CricStats’ database places this result behind only South Africa’s 259 against West Indies in 2023. The margin between the top two chases is just seven runs, which shows how close the match came to the historical summit.
| Rank | Target Chased | Result | Match | Remaining Balls |
|---|
| 1 | 259 | South Africa won by 6 wickets | West Indies v South Africa, 2023 | 7 balls |
| 2 | 252 | West Indies won by 6 wickets | India v West Indies, 2026 | 9 balls |
| 3 | 246 | Bulgaria won by 6 wickets | Serbia v Bulgaria, 2022 | 2 balls |
| 4 | 245 | Australia won by 5 wickets | New Zealand v Australia, 2018 | 7 balls |
| 5 | 244 | Bulgaria won by 6 wickets | Gibraltar v Bulgaria, 2025 | 34 balls |
Why this chase matters statistically
The key value in this result is not just the total, but the combination of scale and completion. West Indies chased 252 with 9 balls remaining, which means the innings maintained a healthy rate of scoring throughout rather than relying on a final-ball finish.
In T20I terms, a chase of 252 usually requires sustained scoring above 12 runs per over. Finishing with nine balls in hand indicates that the required pace was controlled well enough to avoid a late collapse, a detail that strengthens the quality of the chase beyond the raw score alone.
Comparison with other elite chases
Only a handful of T20I chases have crossed the 240 mark, and the top 10 list shows how rare this scoring band is. Four of the top 10 have been completed by six wickets, while others required tighter finishes or more overs to spare.
| Rank | Team | Runs | Wickets | Runs Remaining / Balls Remaining |
|---|
| 1 | South Africa | 259 | 6 | 7 balls remaining |
| 2 | West Indies | 252 | 6 | 9 balls remaining |
| 3 | Bulgaria | 246 | 6 | 2 balls remaining |
| 4 | Australia | 245 | 5 | 7 balls remaining |
| 5 | Bulgaria | 244 | 6 | 34 balls remaining |
The West Indies effort also edges ahead of several notable chases that were completed with fewer balls remaining, including Australia’s 245 in 2018 and England’s 230 in 2016. That makes the Ranchi chase stand out as both high in absolute value and efficient in execution.
West Indies and the chase-heavy top 10
West Indies now feature in two of the most important entries on the T20I chase list: first as the opposition in South Africa’s 259 in 2023, and now as the side that successfully hunted 252 in India. That creates a useful historical link across two of the format’s biggest run-chase benchmarks.
The numbers underline how the format has evolved. Totals once viewed as match-winning are now being surpassed by successful chases above 240 and 250, shifting the statistical ceiling for T20I batting performances.
Historical context of the scoring trend
Of the top 10 highest successful T20I chases, three are from associate teams or lower-ranked matchups, while the elite cricketing nations still dominate the top end of the list. The distribution suggests that pitch conditions, boundaries, and batting depth are all contributing to a higher run-chase ceiling.
| Top 10 Chases | Lowest Total in List | Highest Total in List | Typical Finish |
|---|
| All-time top 10 | 226 | 259 | Within 1 to 7 balls in many cases |
For West Indies, this result becomes a strong statistical reference point. A chase of 252 is not only the team’s place in the record books, but also one of the clearest examples of how modern T20I scoring has expanded into territory once considered exceptional.
As a historical entry, the Ranchi result is straightforward: West Indies chased 252, won by 6 wickets, and did so with 9 balls remaining. In CricStats’ database, that is enough to place the match at number two all-time in the category of highest successful T20I run chases.