Apr 12, 2025, 01:44 PM ET
Abhishek Sharma smashed a hundred off 40 balls for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Hyderabad in IPL 2025. It was the sixth-fastest hundred in the IPL, and led SRH’s chase of 246. Here’s a list of the six quickest centuries in the competition over the years.
Chris Gayle – 30 balls
175* vs Pune Warriors India, Bengaluru, 2013
It was the day on which Gayle rewrote T20 record books at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. His unbeaten 175 remains the highest individual score in the format, and his 30-ball century is the fastest in IPL history even after 12 years. After a watchful first over, Gayle took 21 off Ishwar Pandey and 28 off Mitchell Marsh to bring up a 17-ball fifty. Aaron Finch’s 29-run over only added to the charge and Gayle brought up his century in the ninth over. Of his first 103 runs, 98 came in boundaries. He finished unbeaten on 175 and later returned to pick up two wickets, capping off a surreal day.
Yusuf Pathan – 37 balls
100 vs Mumbai Indians (MI), Brabourne, 2010
Pathan teed off when Rajasthan Royals (RR) needed 143 off 57 balls to chase down MI’s 212. He hit 54 off his next 11 deliveries, including three successive sixes off Ali Murtaza and 24 in the following over from R Sathish. The carnage continued as he brought up what was then the fastest century in the IPL with a towering six. He was run out the very next ball, leaving RR with 40 to get from 17 balls – a bridge too far in the end. However, his captain, Shane Warne, described it as the best innings he had ever seen.
David Miller – 38 balls
101* vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Mohali, 2013
Miller’s 38-ball century rescued Kings XI Punjab (now PBKS) from 64 for 4 and powered them in a jaw-dropping chase of 191, with 99 runs coming in the last five overs. It began with a flurry of boundaries off Vinay Kumar before he tore into RP Singh for 26 in a single over. With three runs needed and Miller on 95, he launched a length ball straight over the sightscreen to bring up his century in style. After the match, Miller shared his father’s advice: “If it’s in the V, it’s in the tree. If it’s in the arc, it’s out of the park.”
Travis Head – 39 balls
102 vs RCB, Bengaluru, 2024
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Head had already signaled their intent with a 277-run blitz earlier in the season. In Bengaluru, they went one better. Head had set the tone with a powerplay assault that saw SRH race to 76 for 0, bringing up his fifty along the way. By the time he was dismissed in the 13th over for a 41-ball 102, SRH had rocketed to 165. They eventually finished on 287 – the highest total in IPL history.
Priyansh Arya – 39 balls
103 vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Mullanpur, 2025
PBKS picked 24-year-old Delhi opener Arya for INR 3.8 crore after a bidding war at the auction and he’s already showing why. After a 23-ball 47 on debut, Arya delivered on his potential against CSK. He began the innings with a first-ball six and didn’t let the fall of wickets at the other end disrupt his intent. He later smacked Matheesha Pathirana for three consecutive sixes and a four to bring up a stunning maiden IPL century in just the 13th over of the innings.
Abhishek Sharma – 40 balls
vs PBKS, Hyderabad, 2025
SRH needed a blazing start to give themselves a chance of chasing down 246, and Abhishek gave them exactly that. He started by hitting four fours off the first five balls he faced. He had a slice of luck on 32; he was caught at deep-backward point but the bowler, Yash Thakur, had overstepped. Abhishek rubbed it in by launching the next ball for a six. He brought up his fifty in 19 balls and comfortably outscored Travis Head in an opening stand of 171 in 12.2 overs. It was a mild surprise when he gently turned the ball on the leg side to bring up his hundred for a single. He eventually finished on 141 off 55 balls, the highest individual score for an Indian at the IPL, hitting 14 fours and ten sixes along the way.
