Fastest IPL Centuries: Ball-by-Ball Blitz Records

A century in T20 cricket is already a major achievement. Reaching one in fewer than 50 balls takes extraordinary hitting. Doing it in fewer than 40 balls puts a batter among the most destructive players in Indian Premier League history.

The IPL has produced increasingly aggressive batting as power-hitting techniques, stronger batting depth and fearless powerplay strategies have developed. Yet one record continues to survive every challenge: Chris Gayle’s 30-ball century for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors India in 2013.

Gayle’s record appeared almost untouchable for more than a decade, but the gap has started to close. Rajasthan Royals teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed a 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans in 2025 and then reached another century from only 36 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2026. He now owns two of the three fastest hundreds in IPL history.

Several other batters have broken the 40-ball barrier, including Yusuf Pathan, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Travis Head and Priyansh Arya. Their innings show how quickly one batter can completely reshape an IPL match.

Fastest Centuries in IPL History

The table below ranks the ten fastest IPL centuries by the number of balls required to reach 100.

Gayle remains the only batter to reach an IPL hundred in 30 balls. Sooryavanshi’s 35-ball and 36-ball centuries have moved him into second and third place, while Yusuf Pathan and Heinrich Klaasen share the 37-ball mark.

Top Five Fastest IPL Centuries

1. Chris Gayle – 30 Balls vs Pune Warriors India, 2013

Chris Gayle’s 30-ball century remains one of the most extraordinary innings in T20 history.

Playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Gayle attacked Pune Warriors India from the beginning and never slowed down.

He reached 100 from only 30 balls, a record that still stands as the fastest century in IPL history. Gayle did not stop at the milestone. He eventually finished unbeaten on 175 from 66 balls.

That remains the highest individual score in IPL history.

Gayle’s innings included 13 fours and 17 sixes. RCB reached 263/5, which was then the highest team total ever recorded in the tournament.

The most remarkable feature was how little time Gayle needed to take control. Bowlers tried changing lengths and angles, but almost anything in his hitting zone disappeared over the boundary.

Full deliveries were launched straight or over midwicket. Short balls were pulled, while spinners were repeatedly sent into the stands.

The innings became the benchmark against which every rapid IPL century has since been measured.

2. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – 35 Balls vs Gujarat Titans, 2025

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced one of the biggest shocks in IPL history when he smashed a 35-ball century for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur.

The teenager had only recently entered the IPL, yet he attacked an experienced Gujarat bowling lineup without hesitation.

He reached fifty from just 17 balls before continuing to attack. Ishant Sharma conceded 26 runs in one over, while Washington Sundar and Karim Janat were also targeted heavily.

Sooryavanshi eventually reached his maiden IPL hundred by hitting Rashid Khan for six. He needed only 35 balls to get there, making it the fastest IPL century by an Indian and the second-fastest overall.

He finished with 101 from 38 balls as Rajasthan chased Gujarat’s 209 with ease.

The innings was remarkable not simply because of his age. Sooryavanshi attacked international-quality bowlers with the confidence of an established T20 star.

His 35-ball hundred moved ahead of Yusuf Pathan’s long-standing Indian record of 37 balls and brought Gayle’s seemingly unreachable 30-ball mark back into conversation.

3. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – 36 Balls vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2026

Sooryavanshi proved his first record-breaking century was no one-off performance when he produced another extraordinary innings in the following IPL season.

Facing Sunrisers Hyderabad in Jaipur in April 2026, he reached his hundred from just 36 deliveries.

The century made him the first batter to own two of the three fastest hundreds in IPL history. He eventually scored 103 from 37 balls.

What made the innings even more significant was the quality of the opposition attack. Sunrisers captain Pat Cummins was among the experienced fast bowlers trying to contain him, yet Sooryavanshi continued to strike cleanly.

His 2026 hundred was one ball slower than his 2025 effort but still quicker than almost every IPL century ever scored.

Back-to-back seasons with sub-40-ball hundreds established Sooryavanshi as an exceptional power hitter rather than simply the owner of one remarkable innings.

4. Yusuf Pathan – 37 Balls vs Mumbai Indians, 2010

For 15 years, Yusuf Pathan held the record for the fastest IPL century by an Indian.

Rajasthan Royals were chasing a massive target against Mumbai Indians at the Brabourne Stadium when Yusuf launched one of the greatest counterattacks in early IPL history.

Rajasthan had slipped into serious trouble before Yusuf changed the match almost single-handedly.

He smashed his century in 37 balls, using enormous power against both pace and spin. His ability to clear the boundary straight down the ground and over midwicket gave Mumbai almost no safe area to bowl.

Yusuf was eventually run out for exactly 100 from 37 balls.

Rajasthan narrowly lost the match, but the innings remained one of the IPL’s most famous hundreds.

His 37-ball Indian record survived until Sooryavanshi reached his hundred from 35 balls in 2025. The performance still sits joint-fourth on the all-time IPL list.

5. Heinrich Klaasen – 37 Balls vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 2025

Heinrich Klaasen joined Yusuf Pathan on 37 balls with a devastating hundred for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2025.

Klaasen had already established himself as one of world cricket’s most dangerous hitters of spin, and this innings demonstrated why.

He reached three figures from only 37 balls and eventually finished unbeaten on 105 from 39 deliveries. The innings placed him alongside Yusuf among the fastest century-makers in IPL history.

Klaasen’s power is different from that of many traditional boundary hitters. He does not always need to advance down the pitch against spin. His strong base and extremely fast hands allow him to hit sixes from relatively stable positions.

That technique makes him particularly dangerous in the middle overs, when teams normally rely on spinners to control scoring.

A 37-ball century from a middle-order batter is especially impressive because openers normally have more deliveries available to build toward three figures.

Other Famous Fast IPL Hundreds

David Miller’s unbeaten 101 against RCB in 2013 remains one of the IPL’s great chasing innings.

Kings XI Punjab were in serious trouble at 64/4 while chasing 191. Miller responded with fearless counterattacking cricket and reached his hundred from only 38 balls.

His unbeaten 101 powered Punjab to victory and created the famous ”Miller the Killer” moment in IPL history.

Travis Head joined the sub-40-ball club in 2024. Playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad against RCB at Bengaluru, the Australian opener reached his century from 39 deliveries and eventually made 102 from 41 balls.

That innings helped SRH pile up 287/3, which broke the IPL record for the highest team total at the time.

Priyansh Arya also reached a century from 39 balls for Punjab Kings against Chennai Super Kings in 2025. He started the match by hitting the first ball for six and maintained his attack despite Punjab losing regular wickets around him. The IPL’s official match report described it as the fastest century by an uncapped player at the time.

Abhishek Sharma’s 40-ball hundred for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Punjab Kings in 2025 added another Indian name to the elite group, while Will Jacks needed 41 balls for his unbeaten century against Gujarat Titans in 2024.

Chris Gayle’s 175 Record

Gayle’s 175 not out deserves separate attention because his achievement involved much more than reaching 100 in 30 balls.

He continued attacking for another 36 deliveries after the century and added 75 more runs.

His final score of 175* remains the highest individual innings in IPL history.

The combination creates two extraordinary records from the same performance: the fastest IPL century and the highest IPL individual score.

Gayle struck 17 sixes and 13 fours. That means 154 of his 175 runs came in boundaries.

RCB’s final total of 263/5 looked almost impossible when it was made. Pune Warriors never came close in response.

What separates Gayle’s performance from most rapid hundreds is how long he maintained the destruction.

A batter can sometimes enjoy 30 or 40 extraordinary deliveries. Gayle continued dominating for 66 balls without being dismissed.

The fact that his 30-ball record remained untouched even through the ultra-aggressive IPL seasons of the mid-2020s shows just how extreme the innings was.

The Rise of Sub-40-Ball IPL Centuries

For many years, sub-40-ball IPL hundreds were extremely rare.

Yusuf Pathan’s 37-ball century in 2010 looked extraordinary. Gayle then pushed the limit to 30 in 2013, while Miller reached three figures from 38 balls later that same season.

Modern IPL batting has produced them more frequently.

Head reached 100 from 39 balls in 2024. Sooryavanshi, Klaasen and Arya joined the list in 2025, and Sooryavanshi repeated the achievement in 2026.

This change reflects wider developments in T20 batting.

Modern players practise power hitting from an early age. They have stronger bats, better strength programs and far more experience attacking specific bowling matchups.

Teams also encourage openers to attack immediately rather than preserving wickets for the final overs.

A batter who reaches 50 from 20 balls no longer necessarily slows down. The next target may be a century before the 40-ball mark.

The Art of Scoring a Fast IPL Century

A rapid century requires far more than simply attempting sixes.

Dominating the Powerplay

Openers have their best opportunity while only two fielders can stay outside the circle.

Sooryavanshi’s 2025 century provides the perfect example. He reached fifty from 17 balls and helped Rajasthan score 87 without loss in the powerplay.

A batter chasing a fast hundred cannot afford to spend the first six overs merely settling in.

Targeting the Right Bowler

Great T20 batters rarely attack every bowler equally.

They identify matchups.

If a particular spinner turns the ball into the batter’s hitting arc, that over may become a chance to score 20 or more.

Likewise, a fast bowler who misses yorkers can quickly concede multiple boundaries.

Converting Good Balls into Runs

Ordinary T20 innings depend heavily on punishing poor deliveries.

Record-breaking hundreds require more.

Gayle, Klaasen and Head can hit decent-length balls for six because their strength and technique expand the traditional scoring zone.

Maintaining Momentum After Fifty

Many quick fifties never become centuries because the batter slows down or gets dismissed.

The fastest century-makers continue attacking after reaching 50.

A player who reaches fifty from 20 balls may need another 20-ball fifty to enter the record books.

Limiting Dot Balls

Dot balls make a sub-40-ball century extremely difficult.

Strike rotation therefore matters even during a boundary-heavy innings. If a batter cannot hit four or six, taking one run keeps the innings moving and returns the strike later.

How Fast Centuries Change IPL Matches

A 35- or 40-ball hundred changes far more than one player’s statistics.

If one batter scores 100 from 40 balls, he has used only one-third of the team’s available deliveries while contributing 100 runs.

That makes totals above 220 much easier.

During a chase, the impact can be even greater.

A required rate of 11 or 12 suddenly looks manageable when one batter scores at 250 runs per 100 balls.

Fast centuries also destroy bowling plans.

Captains begin moving fielders, changing bowlers earlier than expected and abandoning planned overs at the death.

That disruption can create easier opportunities for the batter at the opposite end.

The fastest IPL centuries therefore represent more than individual entertainment. Gayle, Sooryavanshi, Pathan, Klaasen and Miller showed how one innings can make normal T20 tactics almost irrelevant.

FAQs

Who has scored the fastest century in IPL history?

Chris Gayle holds the record. He reached his century from only 30 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors India in 2013.

Who has scored the fastest IPL century by an Indian?

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi holds the Indian record with a 35-ball century for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans in 2025.

What is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s second-fastest IPL century?

Sooryavanshi reached another IPL hundred from 36 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2026. He scored 103 from 37 deliveries.

How fast was Yusuf Pathan’s IPL century?

Yusuf Pathan reached 100 from 37 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Mumbai Indians in 2010.

How many balls did Heinrich Klaasen need for his fastest IPL hundred?

Heinrich Klaasen reached his century from 37 balls for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2025.

Is Chris Gayle’s 175 still the highest IPL score?

Yes. Gayle’s unbeaten 175 against Pune Warriors India in 2013 remains the highest individual score in IPL history through 2026.