Many of the most explosive innings in the history of T20 cricket have been scored in the IPL. From Chris Gayle’s 175 not out to KL Rahul’s record-breaking 152* in IPL 2026, there are many players who have made their mark in the IPL with such innings.
The highest individual score in IPL history is still held by Chris Gayle, but the record list changed in 2026 when KL Rahul moved into the top three with an unbeaten 152 for Delhi Capitals.
Here is the list of the top 5 highest individual scores in IPL history, which includes the new entry from IPL 2026.
Top 5 Highest Individual Scores in IPL History
The top five list features four overseas batters and one Indian batter, while Chris Gayle leads comfortably from the front and Brendon McCullum’s record 158 not out from the first season of IPL is in second place.
With KL Rahul entering the list, now he is third while Abhishek Sharma’s 141 and Quinton de Kock’s 140 not out complete the top five.
| Rank | Player | Team | Score | Balls | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Gayle | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 175* | 66 | 2013 |
| 2 | Brendon McCullum | Kolkata Knight Riders | 158* | 73 | 2008 |
| 3 | KL Rahul | Delhi Capitals | 152* | 67 | 2026 |
| 4 | Abhishek Sharma | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 141 | 55 | 2025 |
| 5 | Quinton de Kock | Lucknow Super Giants | 140* | 70 | 2022 |
1. Chris Gayle – 175* vs Pune Warriors India
The record for the highest individual score in IPL history belongs to Chris Gayle. He made a record-breaking 175 not out for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors India in IPL 2013.
Gayle took just 30 balls to score a century and kept going hard all the way until he was dismissed. In total, he scored 175 runs in 66 balls and hit 13 fours and 17 sixes. Royal Challengers Bangalore scored 263/5 while Pune Warriors India scored 133/9.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Player | Chris Gayle |
| Team | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| Score | 175* |
| Balls | 66 |
| Fours | 13 |
| Sixes | 17 |
| Year | 2013 |
| Opponent | Pune Warriors India |
2. Brendon McCullum – 158* vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
The first noteworthy batting effort in IPL was seen from Brendon McCullum, who scored 158* for Kolkata Knight Riders in the very first game of IPL in 2008 season.
Brendon McCullum faced 73 balls and smashed 10 fours and 13 sixes. His innings contributed to setting a score of 222/3 by Kolkata Knight Riders against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
For many years, McCullum’s 158* stood as the highest individual score in IPL history. The record got broken by Chris Gayle in 2013 but McCullum’s innings continues to be one of the defining efforts from the first season of IPL.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Player | Brendon McCullum |
| Team | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| Score | 158* |
| Balls | 73 |
| Fours | 10 |
| Sixes | 13 |
| Year | 2008 |
| Opponent | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
3. KL Rahul – 152* vs Punjab Kings
The highest individual score in IPL 2026 was recorded by KL Rahul when he smashed an unbeaten 152 for Delhi Capitals against Punjab Kings. Rahul faced 67 balls and smashed 16 fours and nine sixes. His strike rate was 226.87, and his innings laid the foundation for a humungous score of 264/2 by Delhi Capitals.
Rahul and Nitish Rana formed a partnership of 220 runs, with Nitish Rana scoring 91 in 44 balls. Despite of a magnificent innings by KL Rahul, Delhi Capitals were not able to win the match as Punjab Kings chased down 265 in 18.3 overs and won the match by six wickets.
This 152* is more special in the sense that it not only became the highest individual score of IPL 2026 but also the highest individual score in IPL by an Indian batter.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Player | KL Rahul |
| Team | Delhi Capitals |
| Score | 152* |
| Balls | 67 |
| Fours | 16 |
| Sixes | 9 |
| Strike Rate | 226.87 |
| Year | 2026 |
| Opponent | Punjab Kings |
4. Abhishek Sharma – 141 vs Punjab Kings
Another highly destructive innings in IPL 2025 came from Abhishek Sharma who scored 141 from 55 balls against Punjab Kings, hitting 14 fours and 10 sixes. His strike rate was 256.36.
This innings came in a big run chase where Punjab Kings scored 245/6 and Sunrisers Hyderabad chased it down in just 18.3 overs, winning by eight wickets. This innings not only made headlines in IPL 2025 but it also stood as the highest individual score in IPL by an Indian batter, before KL Rahul scored his 152* in 2026.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Player | Abhishek Sharma |
| Team | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| Score | 141 |
| Balls | 55 |
| Fours | 14 |
| Sixes | 10 |
| Strike Rate | 256.36 |
| Year | 2025 |
| Opponent | Punjab Kings |
5. Quinton de Kock – 140* vs Kolkata Knight Riders
The list of top five highest individual scores of the tournament is completed by an unbeaten inning of 140 from Quinton de Kock in IPL 2022 for Lucknow Super Giants against Kolkata Knight Riders. De Kock batted for 70 balls, hitting 10 fours and 10 sixes, having a strike rate of 200.
He made an unbeaten opening partnership of 210 runs along with KL Rahul, who scored 68*. Lucknow Super Giants reached 210/0 and won the game against Kolkata Knight Riders by two runs. What makes the innings special for de Kock is that he played 20 overs without getting out.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Player | Quinton de Kock |
| Team | Lucknow Super Giants |
| Score | 140* |
| Balls | 70 |
| Fours | 10 |
| Sixes | 10 |
| Strike Rate | 200.00 |
| Year | 2022 |
| Opponent | Kolkata Knight Riders |
Highest Individual Score in IPL 2026
KL Rahul has scored 152* in IPL 2026, which is the highest individual score in the tournament.
The inning was also the third-highest individual score ever recorded in the history of the IPL. He surpassed the records of Abhishek Sharma (141) and Quinton de Kock (140*) in terms of individual score in the IPL.
This innings becomes special not only because of scoring at a strike rate of more than 226 without getting out but also because the team lost the match, allowing Punjab Kings to achieve a record of chasing 265.
Highest Individual Score in IPL by Indian Batter
Now KL Rahul holds the record of the highest individual score in IPL by an Indian batter after his 152* in 2026.
Previously the record belonged to Abhishek Sharma with 141 against Punjab Kings in IPL 2025. KL Rahul has managed to break the previous record by 11 runs.
Besides, it should be mentioned that his previous record of 132* was also one of the highest scores by an Indian batter.
| Rank | Indian Batter | Score | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KL Rahul | 152* | 2026 |
| 2 | Abhishek Sharma | 141 | 2025 |
| 3 | KL Rahul | 132* | 2020 |
Highest Score by a Batsman in IPL
In the question about the highest score by a batsman in IPL, the answer is Chris Gayle’s unbeaten 175. Gayle’s 175* is 17 runs higher than Brendon McCullum’s 158* and 23 runs higher than KL Rahul’s 152*. This record has remained the best for more than a decade in the league known for such scores.
Highest Individual Score in an IPL Season
The phrase highest individual score in IPL season may be interpreted in two different ways – the highest single-innings score in a specific edition and the highest single-innings score in any IPL season ever. In IPL 2026, the highest individual score of the season was KL Rahul’s 152*.
Nevertheless, Chris Gayle’s 175* continues to remain the highest single-innings score in all IPL seasons. It is useful to note that the difference between a season record and an overall IPL record can be great sometimes.
What Makes These IPL Scores Special?
Each of these five innings was impressive and made a significant impact on the record books of the league.
Chris Gayle’s 175* continues to remain the all-time benchmark, while his colleague McCullum’s 158* set the record right from the start of the league in its opening match and defined it. KL Rahul’s 152* broke the record of India in 2026, while Abhishek’s 141 demonstrates how fast it is possible to score the record in this competition. Finally, de Kock’s 140* combines aggressive stroke-play and batting endurance.
Another thing to notice is the boundaries scored by each batsman in their record innings – each of the players managed to score at least ten sixes or was close to it, demonstrating the power of their strike rate.
Highest Individual Score in IPL: Quick Comparison
| Player | Score | Balls | Sixes | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Gayle | 175* | 66 | 17 | 2013 |
| Brendon McCullum | 158* | 73 | 13 | 2008 |
| KL Rahul | 152* | 67 | 9 | 2026 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 141 | 55 | 10 | 2025 |
| Quinton de Kock | 140* | 70 | 10 | 2022 |
Finally, the table highlights another interesting aspect – different approaches to creating such huge scores. For example, Gayle and Abhishek scored at extraordinary pace through aggressive boundary hitting. However, Rahul combines high score with long unbeaten innings.
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