Chris Gayle’s Record Still Stands: A Look at the Fastest Centuries in IPL History
The Indian Premier League has produced some of the most explosive batting performances T20 cricket has ever witnessed, yet very few moments match the sheer spectacle of a batsman reaching three figures in under 40 deliveries. These are the innings that stop conversations, freeze scoreboards, and push the limits of what batsmen can actually do in a power play. The fastest centuries in IPL history make that case plainly.
Which Knocks Define the Fastest Centuries in IPL History?
Chris Gayle holds the record, reaching his century off just 30 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, an innings that finished unbeaten on 175; still the highest individual score in T20 cricket. No batter has come close to breaking it in the 12 years since. His 30-ball benchmark sits at the very peak of the fastest centuries in IPL history, a record that has outlasted every generation of T20 batting.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi rewrote the record books in IPL 2025, however, by reaching his century off just 35 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur; the fastest century by an Indian in IPL history, achieved at just 14 years and 32 days old. He finished with 101 off 38 balls, and his onslaught included 11 sixes alongside an opening partnership of 166 with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Yusuf Pathan’s 37-ball century against the Mumbai Indians in 2010 remains third on the all-time list, a chase of over 200 that Rajasthan ultimately fell just four runs short of completing.
Priyansh Arya then announced himself to the league with a 39-ball century for Punjab Kings against Chennai Super Kings in April 2025, becoming the fastest uncapped Indian to reach the landmark. David Miller’s 38-ball ton against RCB in 2013 and Heinrich Klaasen’s unbeaten 105 off 39 balls for SRH against KKR in May 2025 also sit among the fastest centuries in IPL history, with Klaasen’s innings arriving on a flat Delhi surface during a 278-run total.
IPL 2025 alone added three new entries to the all-time top seven. Abhishek Sharma’s 40-ball century against Punjab Kings powered SRH’s record chase of 246, a performance that underlined how dramatically the standard of T20 batting has shifted in recent years. The frequency of these sub-40-ball hundreds points to a wider shift: batting conditions, flat pitches, shorter boundaries, and a fearless generation of batsmen have all come together. However, the fastest centuries in IPL history still demand something rare: aggression that looks reckless from the boundary but never quite is.
Gayle’s 30-ball record may eventually fall, but the queue of challengers will need to go some distance to match it.
Most Wickets In IPL History List Updated
Fastest Centuries in IPL History — Updated Table (as of March 2026)
| Rank | Batsman | Balls | Runs | Team | Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Gayle | 30 | 175* | RCB | Pune Warriors | 2013 |
| 2 | Vaibhav Suryavanshi | 35 | 101 | Rajasthan Royals | Gujarat Titans | 2025 |
| 3 | Yusuf Pathan | 37 | 100 | Rajasthan Royals | Mumbai Indians | 2010 |
| 4 | David Miller | 38 | 101* | Kings XI Punjab | RCB | 2013 |
| 5 | Travis Head | 39 | 102 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | RCB | 2024 |
| 5 | Priyansh Arya | 39 | 103 | Punjab Kings | CSK | 2025 |
| 5 | Heinrich Klaasen | 39 | 105* | Sunrisers Hyderabad | KKR | 2025 |
| 8 | Abhishek Sharma | 40 | 141 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Punjab Kings | 2025 |
