Fast Bowling Speed Records in IPL
Shaun Tait holds the record for the fastest ball in IPL history, clocking 157.71 kmph for Rajasthan Royals against Delhi Daredevils in 2011. Lockie Ferguson is second with 157.3 kmph from 2022, and Umran Malik is third with 157.0 kmph, also from 2022. Through the 2026 season, only five bowlers have ever crossed 155 kmph in the IPL, and Tait’s record has survived for 15 years.
Raw pace is the most thrilling spectacle in T20 cricket. A 157 kmph delivery reaches the batter in roughly 0.4 seconds, which is less time than it takes to blink twice. The batter has to decide, commit and swing in that fraction of a second, and a small error becomes a wicket. That is why the fastest-ball charts are followed so closely, and why every new generation of fast bowlers is measured against Shaun Tait’s 2011 thunderbolt.
Fastest Balls in IPL History: The Complete Top 10
| Rank | Bowler | Speed (kmph) | Team | Opposition | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shaun Tait | 157.71 | Rajasthan Royals | Delhi Daredevils | 2011 |
| 2 | Lockie Ferguson | 157.3 | Gujarat Titans | Rajasthan Royals | 2022 |
| 3 | Umran Malik | 157.0 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Delhi Capitals | 2022 |
| 4 | Mayank Yadav | 156.7 | Lucknow Super Giants | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 2024 |
| 5 | Anrich Nortje | 156.22 | Delhi Capitals | Rajasthan Royals | 2020 |
| 6 | Umran Malik | 156.0 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Delhi Capitals | 2022 |
| 7 | Mayank Yadav | 155.8 | Lucknow Super Giants | Punjab Kings | 2024 |
| 8 | Anrich Nortje | 155.1 | Delhi Capitals | Rajasthan Royals | 2020 |
| 9 | Umran Malik | 154.8 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Delhi Capitals | 2022 |
| 10 | Anrich Nortje | 154.7 | Delhi Capitals | Rajasthan Royals | 2020 |
Speed-gun readings can differ slightly between broadcasters and statistical databases, so some published fastest-ball lists are not identical. The figures above use the speeds most consistently reported for the leading IPL pace records. One widely circulated 157.4 kmph reading for Gerald Coetzee from 2024 is excluded because it was later reported as a speed-gun error.
Shaun Tait: 157.71 kmph in 2011
Shaun Tait’s 157.71 kmph delivery against Delhi Daredevils in 2011 remains the fastest ball ever bowled in the IPL. Tait was playing for Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, and his extreme pace repeatedly rushed Delhi’s top order. The delivery was bowled to Aaron Finch, and it has stood as the league’s outright pace benchmark for 15 seasons.
Tait’s IPL career was short — he played 21 matches and took 23 wickets — but his pace was unforgettable. He had a slinging action, a short run-up for a fast bowler, and a willingness to bowl full and fast even when batters attacked him. Injuries limited his career, but his record has outlasted almost every other mark from the early IPL era. Every fast bowler who has come close since has been measured against Tait, and none has passed him.
Lockie Ferguson: 157.3 kmph in the 2022 Final
Lockie Ferguson bowled the second-fastest ball in IPL history, 157.3 kmph, in the 2022 final for Gujarat Titans against Rajasthan Royals. Delivering that kind of pace in a final, under the highest pressure, is what separates Ferguson from most fast bowlers. He has consistently been among the fastest bowlers in every IPL season he has played, and in 2025 he again topped the season speed charts with a 153.2 kmph delivery for Punjab Kings.
Ferguson’s pace comes from a strong, repeatable action and a very quick arm. He is also one of the best yorker bowlers in T20 cricket, which means his pace is not just a novelty — it is attached to a complete bowling skill set. His 157.3 kmph ball came in a title-winning campaign for Gujarat Titans, which makes it one of the most famous deliveries in IPL history.
Umran Malik: 157.0 kmph and the Fastest Indian Bowler
Umran Malik is the fastest Indian bowler in IPL history. His 157.0 kmph delivery for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Delhi Capitals in 2022 made him a household name, and he appears three times in the top ten fastest deliveries, which no other Indian bowler has managed. His other entries are 156.0 kmph and 154.8 kmph, both also against Delhi Capitals in 2022.
Umran’s rise was one of the great stories of IPL 2022. He was relatively unknown before the season, but he bowled at over 150 kmph in almost every match, took 22 wickets, and won the Emerging Player award. His pace comes from a smooth, athletic action rather than brute force, and his ability to sustain speeds above 150 kmph across a full four-over spell is what made him special. Injuries and form have interrupted his career since, but his 2022 pace records remain untouched by any other Indian bowler.
Mayank Yadav: 156.7 kmph in 2024
Mayank Yadav announced himself in IPL 2024 with a 156.7 kmph delivery for Lucknow Super Giants against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the fourth-fastest ball in IPL history. He followed it with a 155.8 kmph delivery against Punjab Kings, which means he has two entries in the all-time top ten. His debut season was one of the most explosive fast-bowling introductions the IPL has ever seen.
Mayank’s pace was matched by his control. He bowled yorkers and short balls at extreme speed, hit hard lengths consistently, and troubled some of the best batters in the world in his first few matches. Like Tait and Umran before him, his challenge since has been staying fit. Raw pace puts enormous strain on the body, and the history of fast bowling is full of bowlers whose speed made them stars and whose injuries slowed them down.
Anrich Nortje: 156.22 kmph and Sustained Extreme Pace
Anrich Nortje holds three places in the top ten: 156.22 kmph, 155.1 kmph and 154.7 kmph, all for Delhi Capitals against Rajasthan Royals in 2020. That 2020 season was the most sustained display of extreme pace in IPL history. Nortje regularly bowled above 150 kmph, and he did it while taking wickets and bowling at the death, which is the hardest phase for a fast bowler.
Nortje’s action is compact and powerful, and he generates pace from a strong wrist and a fast arm rather than a long run-up. His 2020 season set a new standard for what a fast bowler could do across a full IPL campaign, and it is no coincidence that Delhi Capitals reached the final that year. When a team has a bowler who can sustain 150 kmph-plus speeds, the opposition’s batting plans change completely.
Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada and the 154 kmph Club
Just outside the top ten deliveries sit two more famous names. Dale Steyn bowled 154.4 kmph for Deccan Chargers against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012, and Kagiso Rabada bowled 154.23 kmph for Delhi Daredevils in 2020. Both deliveries would make most fastest-ball lists in other leagues, which shows how deep the IPL’s pace talent has been.
Fastest Bowler of IPL 2026: Ashok Sharma at 154.2 kmph
In IPL 2026, Gujarat Titans pacer Ashok Sharma emerged as the season’s quickest bowler with a 154.2 kmph yorker against Rajasthan Royals. That delivery put him among the quickest bowlers in IPL history and made him one of the discoveries of the season. Sharma had been signed by Gujarat Titans for Rs 90 lakh after finishing as the highest wicket-taker in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26 season, and his IPL breakthrough confirmed that his domestic pace translated to the highest level.
Sharma’s 154.2 kmph delivery did not break Tait’s record, but it continued an important trend: every IPL season produces a new fast bowler who pushes the speed charts. The 2026 season also showed that pace alone is not enough. Sharma’s variations, including a deceptive slower ball, were as important as his speed, and his ability to bowl yorkers at pace is what made him effective rather than just fast.
Fastest Bowler in Each Recent IPL Season
The season-by-season speed leaders show how pace has evolved in the IPL. In 2020, Nortje led the way at 156.22 kmph. In 2022, Ferguson and Umran pushed the mark to 157 kmph and beyond. In 2024, Mayank Yadav reached 156.7 kmph. In 2025, Ferguson again topped the charts at 153.2 kmph, ahead of Jofra Archer at 152.3 kmph and Kagiso Rabada at 151.6 kmph. In 2026, Ashok Sharma’s 154.2 kmph was the fastest delivery of the season.
Why the 157.71 kmph Record Has Survived
There are three reasons Tait’s record has lasted so long. The first is physics: bowling above 157 kmph requires a rare combination of run-up speed, arm speed, wrist position and release point, and very few human bodies can produce it repeatedly. The second is workload: modern fast bowlers play far more cricket than Tait did, and teams manage their workloads carefully, which means bowlers rarely go flat out for a full spell. The third is tactics: in T20 cricket, a fast bowler who bowls at 145 kmph with swing, seam movement and a good yorker is often more effective than one who bowls at 157 kmph without control.
That does not mean the record will stand forever. Every few seasons, a bowler like Umran Malik or Mayank Yadav or Ashok Sharma emerges and pushes the speed charts again. The next record-breaker is probably already playing domestic cricket somewhere, waiting for an IPL opportunity. When the record falls, it will likely fall to a bowler who combines Tait’s raw pace with modern fitness, workload management and tactical awareness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who bowled the fastest ball in IPL history?
Shaun Tait bowled the fastest ball in IPL history, clocking 157.71 kmph for Rajasthan Royals against Delhi Daredevils in 2011.
Who is the fastest Indian bowler in IPL history?
Umran Malik is the fastest Indian bowler in IPL history, with a 157.0 kmph delivery for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Delhi Capitals in 2022.
What was the fastest ball in IPL 2026?
The fastest ball in IPL 2026 was a 154.2 kmph yorker by Gujarat Titans pacer Ashok Sharma against Rajasthan Royals.
How many bowlers have crossed 155 kmph in the IPL?
Five bowlers have crossed 155 kmph in the IPL: Shaun Tait, Lockie Ferguson, Umran Malik, Mayank Yadav and Anrich Nortje.
What is the fastest ball ever bowled in cricket?
The fastest ball ever recorded in international cricket is 161.3 kmph by Shoaib Akhtar of Pakistan against England in the 2003 World Cup. The IPL record of 157.71 kmph by Shaun Tait is the fastest recorded in the league’s history.
Why do speed-gun readings sometimes differ?
Speed-gun readings can differ between broadcasters and statistical databases because of different measurement systems, camera positions and calibration. That is why some published fastest-ball lists are not identical, and why a reported reading can later be corrected as a speed-gun error.