Glorious centuries: Highest scores by Indian batsmen in IPL history
The Indian Premier League, since its start in 2008, has witnessed all sorts of records being made and broken. Over the years, the players have made sure that they provide entertainment to the fans by pulling off things and acts that no one thought were ever possible. From heroic batting in the final overs of the match, helping the team chase down a 200 plus total to bowling deliveries consistently at speeds upwards of 140 kmph plus, the players have done it all.
IPL’s format has let many foreign players come in and set various records all over the years, but the Indian players too have shone in their own right. There have been a lot of Indian batsmen who have smashed a century over all these seasons. So, let us have a look at the 5 Indian batsmen who have managed to score more runs than any of their counterparts in a single innings.
5. Paul Valthaty (Kings XI Punjab, 120* runs, 13th April 2011)
Chennai Super Kings bowlers suffered when Paul Valthaty, opening the batting for his team, broke all shackles and started attacking mercilessly. Chasing down a score of 188 runs set by the Chennai Super Kings, Paul decided to start the innings aggressively. He remained not out all through the inning and saw his side through to a thumping win, by a margin of 8 wickets. Valthaty faced 63 balls, where he maintained a strike rate of 190.47, en route to his score of 120 runs not out.
4. Virender Sehwag (Kings XI Punjab, 122 runs, 30th May 2014)
Highest score in 2014 :Sehwag (122) #IPL season @virendersehwag #IPL2020 pic.twitter.com/by6RTnmKJy
— R A M E $ H (@rameshsehwag_) September 18, 2020
The second player from the Kings XI Punjab making an appearance in the list is the now-retired explosive team India opener, Virender Sehwag. One of the most impactful innings of Sehwag came in the form of 122-run knock off 58 deliveries against the Chennai Super Kings. Batting first in the match, Sehwag’s inning helped Punjab to set a total of 226 runs, which the Chennai Super Kings were not able to chase in their quota of 20 overs. Sehwag got the Man of the Match award for his performance.
3. Murali Vijay (Chennai Super Kings, 127 runs, 03rd April 2010)
Murali Vijay, the batsman known for his technical finesse in the longest form of the game, showed the other side of his batting abilities in a match against Rajasthan Royals at Chepauk during the 2010 season of the Indian Premier League. Batting first, Chennai Super Kings were able to set a total of 246, one of the highest ever, thanks to Vijay’s innings of 127 runs off 56 deliveries. Chennai Super Kings won the match by 23 runs and Vijay was crowned the Man of the Match for his exploits.
2. Rishabh Pant (Delhi Daredevils, 128* runs, 10th May 2018)
Celebrations galore as @RishabPant777 brings up his century against #SRH. pic.twitter.com/pNUsxrv9em
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 10, 2018
It was in the 2018 season of the Indian Premier League, where Rishabh Pant scored his only 100-plus score of the IPL. In a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rishabh Pant helped his team in the first innings to set a total of 187 runs, by scoring an unbeaten 128 off 63 deliveries. But his knock went in vain as the team lost the match to SRH by 9 wickets, thanks to an excellent partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson.
1. KL Rahul (Kings XI Punjab, 132* runs, 24th Sep 2020)
KL Rahul finishes with unbeaten 132*(69b, 14x4s, 7x6s).
Absolute CARNAGE from the KXIP skipper powers the team to 206/3, 20 overs.#KLRahul#rcbvskxip#ChampionStuff #IPL2020 pic.twitter.com/ECwA4SzzPF
— Prasanna_Bhat ?? (@bhat_hosanagara) September 24, 2020
The 2020 season of the Indian Premier League has seen it all, everything from empty stadiums to record-breaking performances by the players. One such record-breaking performance came off KL Rahul’s bat in the first week of the season itself. Leading his team in a match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, KL took charge of the batting attack in the first inning. He hit shots all over the ground while amassing a total of 132 runs off 69 deliveries, and returned to the pavilion unbeaten, with a total of 206 runs posted on the board for RCB to chase. RCB failed to chase down the total and KXIP won the match by a big margin of 97 runs.
