The 15th edition of the grandest most opulent T20 league in the world – the Indian Premier League (IPL) – is less than a week away from kicking off, as the defending champions Chennai Super Kings take on runner-up Kolkata Knight Riders. The IPL 2022 marks a turning point in the tournament’s history as the IPL gets even bigger now with 10 teams in the fray for the coveted trophy.
The IPL is the best place for a budding cricketer to put his prints down and make a statement for the fans and the national selectors. ‘Look what I have got,’ is what many youngsters have in the past asserted with their jaw-dropping, impressive performances.
Here are the 5 youngest centurions in the IPL history:
Manish Pandey -19yr 253d
Manish Pandey is, in fact, the first Indian to hit a century in the IPL, when opening for RCB in the 2009 IPL in South Africa, he smashed 114 unbeaten runs off 73 balls against Deccan Chargers in a league game. A year from the 2008 under-19 World Cup victory, Pandey was quick to seep his name into the minds of the fans.
Rishabh Pant – 20yr 218d
A 20-year-old Rishabh Pant took the IPL by storm when in the 2018 season, he absolutely hammered the strongest bowling attack of that tournament, Sunrisers Hyderabad. Pant blasted 128* off 63 balls, his innings included 15 fours and 7 jaw-dropping sixes, to announce himself in the league of big boys.
Devdutt Padikkal -20yr 289d
Just a couple of months short of his 21st birthday, young RCB opener Devdutt Padikkal ruthlessly assaulted the hapless Rajasthan Royals bowlers around the Wankhede, during a league game in IPL 2021 to bring up his maiden IPL ton – an unbeaten innings of 101 runs off 52 balls helping RCB chase down a sizeable target of 179 with three overs to spare.
Sanju Samson – 22yr 151d
Sanju Samson has hit three centuries so far, the first of which he scored when he was aged 22, in 2017. Samson was a youngster playing for the Delhi Daredevils then. This century came against the Rising Pune Supergiant team in Pune. Samson whacked 102 runs off 63 balls, with the help of 8 fours and 5 sixes, taking Delhi’s scores to 205.
Quinton de Kock- 23yr 122d
Opening for Delhi Daredevils against RCB in a league game during the 2016 season, Quinton de Kock registered a thumping century, aged 23, in DD’s record run-chase of 192. An up-and-coming Protea cricketer then, de Kock scored 108 runs off 51 balls, easing down the big chase.
