When T20 cricket started in the early 2000s, few would’ve thought a batter would score a century in the years to come. It sure was a massive task back then.
But we are two decades into the format now, and batters have taken it by storm. It won’t be inappropriate to say it’s a batter’s format. And they make it their own with their aggressive hitting.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been host to some powerful hitters who brought their madness along with them. Some of them went crazy on particular days to score record-breaking centuries.
Here, we’ll look at the top five fastest centuries scored by batters in the IPL.
5. Priyansh Arya (PBKS): 39 Balls vs CSK | 2025
It’s common to see experienced batters get the magic number quicker. But the gap seems to be narrowing between the seasoned and inexperienced batters.
Punjab Kings’ Priyansh Arya showed a glimpse of it. And he did it when wickets were tumbling on the other end.
Anyone would’ve succumbed to the pressure. But Arya was in his zone. It takes some dedication to remain calm and do what’s expected of you in such situations.
Arya just did that and kept the show running from the other end to bring up his maiden IPL century in 39 balls. His knock was enough to hand Chennai Super Kings an 18-run loss.
4. Travis Head (SRH): 39 Balls vs RCB | 2024
IPL 2024 was all about ruthless batting. And Travis Head had a piece of it.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter gave a ‘head’ache to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). SRH were out in the middle in the first innings.
Head was off the mark immediately and didn’t stop until his hundred. RCB bowlers had nowhere to hide against Head’s lethal attack.
He reached the 100-run mark in 39 balls and looked set for a big knock but fell shortly on 102 off 41 balls. Nevertheless, SRH put up 287 on board – the highest total in the league!
3. David Miller (Kings XI Punjab): 38 Balls vs RCB | 2013
Before Head’s rampage, RCB faced a thumping knock from David Miller in IPL 2013. RCB’s batters had done their job with 190 runs on the board.
Now it was the bowler’s turn to finish the job. And they seemed to be on their way until Miller happened.
Punjab looked almost out of the chase after being three down on 51. But Miller put up the fireworks to pull off the chase in 18 overs.
He finished off in style with a six, which also brought up his hundred in 38 balls, the third fastest in the IPL.
2. Yusuf Pathan (RR): 37 Balls vs MI | 2010
Eight batters had scored an IPL century before Yusuf Pathan’s 100 against Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2010. But none managed to bring up the triple-digit figures in fewer than 40 balls.
And to think Pathan did it with finesse when T20 cricket was still in its nascent form is crazy. What’s special is the knock came in a high-pressure run chase.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) were in a fix at 40 for 3 in pursuit of 213 runs. And Pathan’s blitz off 37 balls almost saw RR cruise over. If not for Pathan’s run-out, RR would have made home with ease.
1. Chris Gayle (RCB): 30 Balls vs Pune Warriors | 2013
Well, no one can forget Chris Gayle’s insanity from the 2013 season, can you? The left-arm opener was in a destructive mode in a game against Pune Warriors.
And guess what? He brought up the fastest century off 30 balls in IPL’s history.
Gayle hammered Pune’s bowlers all over the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. His 30 boundaries – 13 fours and 17 sixes – are testimony to his carnage.
No bowler from Pune had a clue to stop the Universe Boss on that day. As a result, he remained unbeaten on 175, which is still the highest score by a batter in the league.
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