Fastest Century in IPL History: Top 10 Fastest IPL Hundreds

Chris Gayle of Royal Challengers Bangalore currently holds the record for the fastest century in IPL history, having scored 100 off just 30 balls in IPL 2013. It was almost a decade ago but that record is yet to be broken. However, the battle for second place in the fastest century list has changed much since then. In IPL 2025, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made a 35-ball century and then in IPL 2026 he made another century in 36 balls. Other batters, such as Yusuf Pathan, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Travis Head and Priyansh Arya also scored their hundreds in under 40 balls.

This article talks about the fast hundred list in IPL, Chris Gayle’s 30-ball hundred, fastest century by Virat Kohli in IPL, MS Dhoni’s fastest century record in IPL and many other significant records associated with fastest IPL centuries.

What Is the Fastest Century in IPL History?

Chris Gayle has the record of the fastest century in IPL history with his hundred coming off just 30 balls. Chris Gayle hit his hundred in the match played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Pune Warriors India at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on April 23, 2013.

His 100 came in an impressive 175* run knock from 66 balls, which included 13 fours and 17 sixes. Royal Challengers Bangalore registered a massive 263/5 total and won the game by 130 runs. The official match report of IPL had mentioned that this 30-ball hundred of Chris Gayle is the fastest hundred in IPL and, at that time, in Twenty20 cricket.

Record	Details
Fastest IPL century	Chris Gayle
Balls to 100	30
Team	Royal Challengers Bangalore
Opponent	Pune Warriors India
Date	23 April 2013
Final score	175 off 66 balls*
Fours	13
Sixes	17
Venue	M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

Chris Gayle’s Fastest Century in IPL

Chris Gayle’s 30-ball century is considered as the benchmark of the fastest hundreds in IPL. At the start of his innings, Chris Gayle already played aggressively but he got to another level in the middle overs. He made his fifty runs very quickly and kept accelerating. At the end, he took his century off just the 30th delivery.

The innings didn’t stop at 100 as he continued his assault and made 175 not out. His 17 sixes also became the new record at that time. Royal Challengers Bangalore made 263/5 total while Pune Warriors India only managed 133/9.

What makes this record really remarkable is the distance between Gayle and the second-fastest century in IPL. Even after so many years and generations of aggressive IPL batters, no batter has yet been able to take their hundred in less than 30 balls.

Top 10 Fastest Centuries in IPL History

The list below ranks the quickest IPL hundreds by the number of balls required to reach 100. The figures are updated through the end of IPL 2026.

Rank	Player	Balls	Score	Team	Opponent	Year
1	Chris Gayle	30	175*	RCB	PWI	2013
2	Vaibhav Sooryavanshi	35	101	RR	GT	2025
3	Vaibhav Sooryavanshi	36	103	RR	SRH	2026
4	Yusuf Pathan	37	100*	RR	MI	2010
4	Heinrich Klaasen	37	105*	SRH	KKR	2025
6	David Miller	38	101*	KXIP	RCB	2013
7	Travis Head	39	102	SRH	RCB	2024
7	Priyansh Arya	39	103	PBKS	CSK	2025
9	Abhishek Sharma	40	141	SRH	PBKS	2025
10	Will Jacks	41	100*	RCB	GT	2024

Recent IPL records confirm Sooryavanshi’s 35-ball and 36-ball centuries, while the IPL’s official reports confirm the 37-ball Klaasen hundred and Priyansh Arya’s 39-ball century.

Who Scored the Second-Fastest Century in IPL?

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the owner of the second-fastest century in IPL history by making 100 off just 35 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans on April 28, 2025. Sooryavanshi was just 14 years old at the time he made this outstanding innings. He ended up with 101 off 38 balls, hitting seven fours and 11 sixes as Rajasthan Royals chased 210 total with 25 balls to spare.

This century pushed him past the previous record of 37-ball hundred held by Yusuf Pathan and made him the youngest player to score an IPL century. His 35-ball century was also confirmed as the second-fastest in IPL history, behind Chris Gayle’s 30-ball record, in the official match report.

Sooryavanshi then added another amazing achievement to his record list by making another century in IPL 2026. This time against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he made his century off just 36 balls and ended up with 103 from 37 deliveries. He is the only batter to score two centuries in under 40 balls in IPL.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 36-Ball IPL Century in 2026

In his second quick century, Sooryavanshi slammed 103 from 37 balls, which included five fours and 12 sixes. He made the fastest IPL century in 36 balls. The innings of Sooryavanshi helped Rajasthan Royals score 228/6. Despite chasing down the target of 228 runs, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s performance gave another entry in IPL fastest hundred records.

The two innings have special importance because the batter, Sooryavanshi, has featured twice in the list of fastest hundreds in IPL. The first one was when he recorded a 35-ball century in 2025.

Yusuf Pathan’s 37-Ball Century

The record of Sooryavanshi before 2026 came as a replacement for the record of Yusuf Pathan’s 37-ball century. Pathan recorded the fastest 100 for Rajasthan Royals against Mumbai Indians in 2010, when he ended up with an unbeaten hundred, which has become part of the fastest hundreds played in IPL.

Yusuf Pathan’s 37-ball century became the closest achievement to the 30-ball record of Chris Gayle until Heinrich Klaasen joined it.

Heinrich Klaasen’s 37-Ball Hundred

During the 2025 season of IPL, Heinrich Klaasen equalled the record of Yusuf Pathan, when he achieved the third-fastest IPL century playing for SRH against Kolkata Knight Riders. Klaasen scored 105 not out from 39 balls, reaching his century in 37 deliveries. His century included nine sixes and helped SRH to post 278/3. According to the official IPL website, it was described as a joint-third-fastest century in IPL history.

Heinrich Klaasen’s innings was also a great example of how fast batters can turn an excellent position into an overwhelming total within a couple of overs.

David Miller’s 38-Ball Century

Next on the list there is David Miller with his 38-ball century in 2013 for Kings XI Punjab against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Miller ended up with an unbeaten 101 from 38 balls, enabling his team to chase 191 with six wickets in hand. This century was David Miller’s first in Twenty20 cricket and it was listed as the third-fastest IPL century behind Gayle and Pathan at that time.

Miller’s innings was remarkable as his team were struggling at 68/4 at the half-way mark and still required 123 runs and he delivered an amazing finishing assault.

Travis Head and Priyansh Arya: 39-Ball Centuries

Two batters are sharing the record of 39-ball IPL century: Travis Head and Priyansh Arya. Travis Head recorded his century for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2024. Travis Head’s aggressive batting style became a hallmark of SRH’s high-scoring batting approach in 2024.

Priyansh Arya achieved the same record of 39 balls for Punjab Kings against Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025. He scored 103 from 42 balls, reaching his century in 39 deliveries. According to the official IPL report, it was the fastest century of an uncapped player at that time and a joint fourth-fastest IPL century.

Abhishek Sharma’s 40-Ball Century

Abhishek Sharma has also delivered another super-fast IPL century for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2025. He made a 40-ball century against Punjab Kings and finally scored 141, becoming one of the most explosive individual innings of that season.

A batter needs to score at the pace of 2.5 runs per delivery to record a 40-ball century. This means that he must hit boundaries, rotate strikes and keep attacking while not losing wickets.

Will Jacks’ 41-Ball Century

Will Jacks recorded his 41-ball century for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024. Will Jacks’ unbeaten 100 helped his team to chase a target of 201 with nine wickets in hand. The batter’s century became especially remarkable as he achieved it in a successful chase rather than set a big total.

Virat Kohli’s Fastest Century in IPL

The fastest century for Virat Kohli in IPL came from 47 balls. He made 113 runs from 50 balls. Kohli made his fastest century in 47 balls and ended up with 12 fours and eight sixes. Kohli’s 47 balls century is not in the current list of 10 fastest centuries in IPL, but it is Kohli’s fastest IPL century.

Kohli’s second-fastest century came from 58 balls when he made 100 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2019. The official report of IPL states that Kohli took 58 balls to reach hundred runs. Therefore, when searching for Virat Kohli fastest century in IPL, the answer will be 47 balls not 58 balls.

MS Dhoni’s Fastest Century in IPL

Here is a clarification in regards to the search query: MS Dhoni hasn’t made any IPL century ever. It means that he doesn’t have the fastest IPL century.

Though his IPL career included several explosive innings, but none of them has gone to three figures.

One of the best late-career innings of Dhoni in IPL was the innings of 84 runs in 48 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2019. This innings included five fours and seven sixes, but still it wasn’t enough for him to score his first ever century.

This difference is very important, as there are some online pages which suggest that Dhoni has an IPL century, which is not the case with him.

How Rare Is a Sub-40-Ball IPL Century?

A century in fewer than 40 balls is an exceptional achievement even in a competition built around aggressive batting.

The list is currently made up of:

• Chris Gayle — 30 balls
• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi — 35 balls
• Vaibhav Sooryavanshi — 36 balls
• Yusuf Pathan — 37 balls
• Heinrich Klaasen — 37 balls
• David Miller — 38 balls
• Travis Head — 39 balls
• Priyansh Arya — 39 balls

That means the IPL has produced only a small group of innings in which a batter has reached 100 before facing 40 deliveries. Sooryavanshi’s two appearances make the achievement even more unusual.

Fastest IPL Century vs Fastest IPL Fifty

There is a difference between a fast century and a fast fifty. One batter could have made a fast fifty and then slowed down, while another batter may increase his run-rate after making fifty. Therefore, the fastest fifty run score won’t necessarily turn into the fastest century.

For example, the fastest century in IPL is made by Gayle, but 30 balls century was made through constant acceleration of his run-rate, but not only fast start.

That’s why IPL batting records should be compared according to the exact milestone which should be measured like 50, 100, highest score, strike rate or runs scored.

Why Are IPL Centuries Getting Faster?

Modern IPL batting has increasingly rewarded aggressive intent from the opening over.

Several factors contribute to faster hundreds:

1. Powerplay aggression

Two players are allowed to play outside the inner ring during the first six overs. Openers can aggressively attack the gaps and hit boundaries when the fielding is limited.

2. Bigger emphasis on six-hitting

Nowadays, batters use a lot of strong options to play against fast and spinning bowlers. Six is the run which gives six runs directly without taking several scoring balls.

3. Improved batting preparation

Players spend lots of time analyzing bowlers, match-ups and field settings. In that way, they are able to find scoring zones before the game starts.

4. High-quality T20 specialists

IPL attracts the world’s best T20 batters. Players like Gayle, Pathan, Miller, Kohli, Head and Klaasen have shown different styles of playing and scoring rapidly.

5. Greater value placed on strike rate

During a 20 over innings, the ability to score quickly can be as important as the ability to stay on the crease for a long time. The batter who scores 100 runs in 40 balls is able to change the whole picture of the match.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The fastest century in the history of IPL is the 30 ball century which Gayle made for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors India in 2013. The record has survived a long line of aggressive power hitters. Currently, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi came closest to the record. He scored his fastest century in 35 balls in 2025 and 36 balls in 2026. Yusuf Pathan and Heinrich Klaasen share the record of 37 balls, and David Miller, Travis Head and Priyansh Arya also have sub-40-ball centuries.

For the other main names the difference is the same: Virat Kohli’s fastest century in IPL was in 47 balls, and MS Dhoni hasn’t made any IPL century ever.

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