Back in 2013, the West Indies batting maestro, Chris Gayle, created history by scoring the fastest century of the Indian Premier League (IPL), in just 30 deliveries, for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) against Pune Warriors India. In the 2023 edition of the cash-rich league too, some batters displayed their spunky side and notched up centuries for their teams.
In the season, nine players scored 12 tons (till May 28), of which two came from Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB), Virat Kohli’s bat while three were smashed by Gujarat Titans’ (GT) opener, Shubman Gill. Out of all the batters who scored centuries, in the 16th edition, five made it to the list of IPL’s fastest centurions.
Discussing more, here are the five batters who scored the fastest tons in the 2023 season
5. Shubman Gill vs Mumbai Indians (49 deliveries)
Shubman Gill. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Shubman Gill had his best IPL season, this year, as the 23-year-old became the IPL 2023 Orange Cap winner with 851 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 156.43. In Qualifier 2, the youngster powered his side to a 62-run victory over Mumbai Indians (MI), with his sensational knock of 129 runs off just 60 deliveries.
During his superb innings, Gill tamed MI bowlers with his fierce batting attitude and scored his half-century in just 32 deliveries. After crossing the 50-run mark, he got more confident and amassed his next 50 runs in just 17 balls to bring his third IPL century in just 49 deliveries.
The dynamic right-handed batter continued his assault after completing his hundred but got dismissed while attempting to clear the fence against Akash Madhwal on the fifth delivery of the 17th over. At the end of the day, he also became the recipient of the Player of the Match award for his extraordinary innings.
4. Heinrich Klassen vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (49 deliveries)
Heinrich Klaasen Celebration. (Photo Source : Twitter/IPL)
Heinrich Klaasen is known for his ferocious batting style in the shortest format of the sport. This IPL season, he served Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as their wicketkeeper and middle-order batter. Featuring in the cash-rich league this season, the veteran looked positive and became the leading run-scorer for his side, accumulating 448 runs in 11 innings of 12 games, at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 177.07.
In the 65th game of the competition, he also racked up his maiden IPL ton against his previous team, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Hyderabad. Earlier, after losing the toss, SRH lost their both openers Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Tripathi within the first six overs. In the critical situation, Klaasen took the matter into his hands and played some exquisite strokes, and racked up his first IPL century in just 49 balls.
The 31-year-old ended his innings on 104 runs off just 51 deliveries. Riding on his excellent knock, Sunrisers put up a competitive total of 186 on the board, but his brilliant batting effort went in vain as RCB pocketed the match comfortably with eight wickets in hand.
3. Suryakumar Yadav vs Gujarat Titans (49 deliveries)
Suryakumar Yadav. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Suryakumar Yadav struggled to be among the runs in his initial matches of the season but the Mumbai Indians’ (MI) veteran returned to form from the game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 22nd match. In Mumbai’s campaign till Qualifier 2, Surya looked dominant with his bat, piling up 605 runs in 16 matches at an outstanding strike rate of 181.13.
During his remarkable journey in the competition, he also slammed his maiden unbeaten IPL century against Gujarat Titans (GT), in match 57 held at the Wankhede Stadium. In the big game against a quality team, the 32-year-old stepped up and scored unbeaten 103 runs off just 49 balls.
Surya’s swashbuckling knock guided MI to accumulate 218 at the end of their innings. The right-handed batter’s phenomenal contribution emboldened the confidence of Mumbai’s bowlers as they defended the total comfortably, restricting Gujarat to 191/8 in 20 overs. For his swashbuckling batting display, Suryakumar got the Player of the Match award as well.
2. Venkatesh Iyer vs Mumbai Indians (49 deliveries)
Venkatesh iyer. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
After 15 years, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) supporters got to see the second century from a batter of their team as Venkatesh Iyer smashed 104 runs against Mumbai Indians (MI), in the 22nd match of the tournament to end his team’s century drought. At the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai Indians (MI) handed a five-wicket defeat to KKR but Venkatesh got appreciated for his brisk knock.
Before the start of the match, MI’s stand-in skipper, Suryakumar Yadav, won the toss and invited the visitors to bat first. KKR openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Narayan Jagadeesan went back to the pavilion within the powerplay overs, without providing anything solid to the team. After the fall of both opening batters, Venkatesh flexed his muscles and took MI’s bowling unit to the cleaners.
The southpaw scored his ton in just 49 deliveries with 14 boundaries (nine maximums and five fours) and became the second centurion for KKR, after Brendon McCullum, who racked up a ton against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), in the maiden IPL match in 2008. However, the 28-year-old’s knock went in vain as the five-time IPL champions bagged the game comfortably with the joint efforts of their key batters.
1. Cameron Green vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (47 deliveries)
Cameron Green. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Cameron Green played a vital part in Mumbai Indians’ journey till playoffs. Chalking up 452 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 160.28, he emerged as one of the most efficient MI stalwarts of the ongoing season, with a lot of ups and downs.
In his team’s final league-round match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Green played an unbeaten 100-run knock and helped his side to take the match home comfortably by chasing down 201 runs with eight wickets in hand.
This was a do-or-die match for Mumbai as victory was the only option for them to reach the next round. While chasing 201, MI had lost Ishan Kishan inside the first three overs but Green took the responsibility to take the match ahead for MI at a swift pace with his aggressive batting style.
Believing in himself, he came heavily on SRH bowlers and snatched the win from the 2016 IPL champions. Along with grabbing the victory, the Aussie also hit his first IPL century in just 47 balls. His scintillating unbeaten hundred also became the fastest one of the 2023 IPL edition.
Updated till May 28