Fastest 100 in IPL: Top 10 Centuries of All Time
30 balls. That’s all Chris Gayle needed to score a hundred in the IPL. No batter in IPL history has managed to touch that number since 2013. The fastest 100 in IPL history is still one of cricket’s most jaw-dropping records — and the list of players who have come close since then reads like a highlight reel of the greatest power hitters the game has ever seen.
If you’ve been searching for a complete, up-to-date breakdown of the fastest 100 in IPL — with exact balls, match details, and some of the context you won’t find anywhere else — this is the only article you need to read.
What Is the Fastest 100 in IPL History?
The fastest 100 in IPL history was scored by Chris Gayle, who reached his century in 30 balls while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) against Pune Warriors India at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on April 23, 2013.
Gayle didn’t just stop at 100. He went on to score 175 runs off 66 balls — still the highest individual score in T20 cricket as of 2026. In that innings, he hit 17 sixes and 13 fours, giving him a strike rate of over 265. RCB posted 263/5 and won by 130 runs. Pune could only manage 133/9. It was, simply put, a massacre.
What’s often forgotten is how fast he got there. Gayle reached 50 in about 17 balls, then raced to the century in the next 13 deliveries. Bowlers just didn’t know what to do.
Top 10 Fastest 100s in IPL History — Full List
Here’s the definitive list of the fastest hundreds ever scored in IPL, updated to include IPL 2025 and 2026:
| Rank | Player | Balls | Score | Match | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Gayle | 30 | 175* | RCB vs PWI | 2013 |
| 2 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | 35 | 101 | RR vs GT | 2025 |
| 3 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | 36 | 103 | RR vs SRH | 2026 |
| 4 | Yusuf Pathan | 37 | 100 | RR vs MI | 2010 |
| 5 | Heinrich Klaasen | 37 | 104 | SRH vs KKR | 2025 |
| 6 | David Miller | 38 | 101* | KXIP vs RCB | 2013 |
| 7 | Travis Head | 39 | 102 | SRH vs RCB | 2024 |
| 8 | Priyansh Arya | 39 | 100+ | PBKS vs CSK | 2025 |
| 9 | Abhishek Sharma | 40 | 141 | SRH vs PBKS | 2025 |
| 10 | Will Jacks | 41 | 100* | RCB vs GT | 2024 |
Note: Data sourced from ESPNcricinfo and official IPL records. Some data points verified via Sportskeeda and Mykhel.
The Chris Gayle Record — Why It's Still Unbroken After 12 Years
Think about this for a second. IPL has been running since 2008. Hundreds of matches. Some of the best power hitters in the world — de Villiers, Kohli, Warner, Buttler, Suryakumar Yadav — have all played at their peak in this tournament. And none of them have beaten 30 balls.
The conditions that day at Chinnaswamy were perfect for a big score. The pitch was flat. The boundary was short. But Gayle made it look like no one else could have.
He was 33 at the time, batting in his prime for RCB. His technique against spin was aggressive — he’d just sweep or hit over mid-wicket. Against pace, he was hard to stop because he backs away and hits through the off side with brutal force. Pune’s bowlers had no Plan B.
I’ve watched that innings many times. What gets me every time is that he hit the first ball of an over for six, then cleared the boundary two more times in the same over — not once, but across multiple overs. It wasn’t lucky. It was calculated carnage.
Fastest 100 in IPL by an Indian Player — Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Historic Knock
For 15 years, the fastest IPL century by an Indian was held by Yusuf Pathan — 37 balls against Mumbai Indians in 2010. Then came a 14-year-old kid from Bihar, and everything changed.
On April 28, 2025, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 101 off 38 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur. His century came in just 35 balls — the second-fastest in IPL history overall, and the fastest ever by an Indian player.
Let that land for a moment. A 14-year-old, in his debut IPL season, smashing a century faster than any Indian cricketer in 17 years of IPL history.
He hit 11 sixes in that innings — equalling the record for most sixes in an IPL knock by an Indian (previously set by Murali Vijay). He also hit four consecutive sixes off Praful Hinge in the first over itself. Rajasthan went absolutely berserk.
- The strike rate on his century? 285.71. Yes, that's not a typo.
Then in IPL 2026, at 15, Sooryavanshi did it again — scoring another century in 36 balls, making him the only player other than Gayle to appear twice in the top 3 fastest hundreds in IPL history.
Fastest 100 in IPL by Team — Who Has the Most Records?
If you’re looking at the fastest 100 in IPL by team, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore stand out clearly.
- RCB — home to the all-time record (Gayle, 30 balls) and multiple other high-speed centuries
- Rajasthan Royals — Yusuf Pathan’s 37-ball ton in 2010, and now Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s back-to-back records in 2025 and 2026
- Punjab Kings (KXIP) — David Miller’s famous 38-ball century in 2013 and Mayank Agarwal’s 45-ball ton
It’s worth noting that Pune Warriors India no longer exists as a franchise, so Gayle’s record came against a team that’s now defunct. But the record lives on in the books.
What Makes a Player Score a Hundred So Fast? — The Technical Angle
This isn’t just about raw power. Players who feature in the fastest 100 in IPL list share a few things in common:
- They’re not afraid to swing from ball one. Gayle literally took guard and looked to hit sixes from the first delivery. Sooryavanshi’s debut IPL shot was a six off Shardul Thakur’s first ball to him. That mindset is rare.
They rotate intelligently between big shots. Watch Sooryavanshi’s innings closely — he doesn’t slog every ball. He nudges singles, reads the field, then picks the short boundary when the moment’s right. It’s calculated, not reckless.
They dominate spin as much as pace. Many hard-hitters struggle against clever spin. Gayle and Klaasen are unusually strong against both. That’s what separates them from other big hitters who might score fast but not this fast.
They have a high natural strike rate. David Miller, for instance, doesn’t play cautious cricket. His entire game is built around attacking from the start. When the conditions are right, that default approach can produce insane results.
Will Chris Gayle's Record Ever Be Broken?
Honestly? It’s hard to say no. But it’s also hard to say yes.
Here’s the thing — a 30-ball century in T20 cricket means you need to maintain a strike rate of over 333 for 30 balls. That’s not just big hitting. It’s almost like everything has to go perfectly: the pitch, the bowlers, the field settings, your own eye on the day.
Sooryavanshi’s 35-ball ton was remarkable. But he needed just five more balls than Gayle to get there. Five balls, over 12 years, with thousands of T20 matches in between. That tells you how hard Gayle’s record is to chase.
My honest take? Someone like Sooryavanshi — with that natural aggression, that mental fearlessness, and years of cricket ahead of him — might be the best bet. He’s already done it twice in the top three. If he’s playing this kind of cricket at 14 and 15, imagine what 22-year-old Vaibhav looks like.
FAQ: Fastest 100 in IPL — Real Questions, Quick Answers
Chris Gayle holds the all-time record for the fastest 100 in IPL. He scored his century in just 30 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in April 2013. He went on to make 175 runs off 66 balls, which is still the highest T20 individual score ever.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored the fastest IPL century by an Indian. He reached his hundred in 35 balls while playing for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025. At 14 years old, he also became the youngest centurion in men's T20 cricket.
Before Sooryavanshi, the fastest IPL century by an Indian was scored by Yusuf Pathan — 37 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Mumbai Indians in 2010. Pathan's record stood for 15 years.
As of 2026: (1) Chris Gayle – 30 balls, (2) Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – 35 balls (2025), (3) Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – 36 balls (2026), (4) Yusuf Pathan – 37 balls, (5) Heinrich Klaasen – 37 balls.
Rajasthan Royals have produced two of the top three fastest centuries (both by Sooryavanshi). Royal Challengers Bangalore hold the all-time record via Gayle. Punjab Kings also feature regularly with Miller and Agarwal among the fastest.
RCB scored 263/5 in 20 overs and won by 130 runs. Pune Warriors were bowled out for 133/9. Gayle's 175* remains unbeaten in T20 history as the highest individual score.
Yes. The fastest 100 in IPL 2025 was scored by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in 35 balls — which is also the second-fastest in IPL history overall. The all-time record (30 balls) is still held by Chris Gayle from 2013.
Conclusion: A Record That Defined an Era, and a Teenager Who Might End It
The fastest 100 in IPL is more than a stat. It’s a reminder that T20 cricket, at its best, is extraordinary entertainment. Chris Gayle redefined what was possible in 2013. Yusuf Pathan showed that Indians could do it too. And Vaibhav Sooryavanshi — a 14-year-old from a small town in Bihar — walked into Jaipur and made the entire cricket world stop scrolling.
Whether Gayle’s 30-ball record falls in the next five years or survives another decade, one thing is clear: the next chapter of the fastest 100 in IPL story is already being written. And if early signs are anything to go by, Sooryavanshi will be the one holding the pen.
Bookmark this page — we’ll update it every IPL season as new records come in.
