Fastest half century in IPL history: List of top 5 batsmen with the fastest fifties in an IPL match
Chasing a modest total of 166, Rahul unleashed hell on the Daredevils from the get go and scored a 14-ball fifty.
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Yusuf Pathan, KL Rahul and Sunil Nariene
The annual sporting extravaganza of India, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is undoubtedly the most popular league in the world. The tournament features players from around the world, both young and experienced, competing against the best in the business to be crowned the champion of Indian T20 cricket.
The tournament is characterized by the batsmen taking apart the bowling line-ups. Big shots and the bowlers getting smashed around the park have been the hallmark of the tournament, as it is with T20 cricket in general. And so half centuries are a regular feature in the format given the fast-forward nature of it.
On that note, we take a look at the fastest half-centuries in the tournament’s history.
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List of batsmen with the fastest half-century in IPL history
| POSITION | PLAYER | Team | Against | Year | Balls for 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KL Rahul | RCB | DC | 2018 | 14 |
| 2 | Pat Cummins | KKR | MI | 2022 | 14 |
| 3 | Yusuf Pathan | KKR | SRH | 2014 | 15 |
| 4 | Sunil Narine | KKR | RCB | 2017 | 15 |
| 5 | Nicholas Pooran | LSG | RCB | 2023 | 15 |
| 6 | Suresh Raina | CSK | PBKS | 2014 | 16 |
| 7 | Ishan Kishan | MI | SRH | 2021 | 16 |
| 8 | Kieron Pollard | MI | KKR | 2016 | 17 |
| 9 | Chris Gayle | RCB | PWI | 2013 | 17 |
| 10 | Sunil Narine | KKR | RCB | 2018 | 17 |
5. Nicholas Pooran (15 balls)
West Indies wicketkeeper batter Nicholas Pooran tore apart Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) bowling lineup while playing for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2023. As LSG were chasing a massive 213 against RCB at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Pooran hit a half-century off just 15 balls. The LSG batter ended the innings with a 19-ball 62 which he scored with the help of four boundaries and seven sixes. It was Pooran’s valiant effort that helped LSG defeat RCB by one wicket in a high-scoring thriller.
4. Sunil Narine (15 balls)
In his very first season as an opener, Sunil Narine impressed one and all with his great striking ability. The decision of promoting Narine up the order proved to be very handy for the Kolkata Knight Riders until lately. The game against RCB witnessed the Caribbean spinner at his best with the bat. Narine took apart the RCB bowling attack, especially his national team mate Samuel Badree as he rushed to fifty off just 15 balls. But his knock didn’t last long as he fell the next ball. Thanks to a brisk start from him, KKR comfortably won the game with 29 balls to spare.
3. Yusuf Pathan (15 balls)
Former India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan is known for his abilities to muster sixes at will. Pathan rose to the occasion for KKR in IPL 2014 against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens. The big and burly all-rounder wreaked havoc on the SRH bowling line-up as KKR chased down the target of 161 with 34 balls to spare.
Pathan played a whirlwind knock of 72 off just 22 balls to take his side home singlehandedly. The Baroda all-rounder smashed a 15 ball fifty in the process to hold the record of the fastest fifty in the league until 2018. However, Pathan is now third on the list.
2. Pat Cummins (14 balls)
Playing for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Australia all-rounder Pat Cummins proved his mettle with the bat in hand as he won the match for his team against Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 2022. Cummins tore apart the MI bowling lineup as if they were club cricketers. The KKR all-rounder hit sixes for fun and rushed to his half-century off just 14 balls and became the joint-fastest to achieve the milestone. While at one stage it seemed that MI can win the match, Cummins finished it with four overs left.
1. KL Rahul (14 balls)
The second game of IPL 2018 between KXIP, now rechristened as Punjab Kings, and Delhi Daredevils, now renamed as Delhi Capitals, saw KL Rahul smash the fastest fifty in IPL. Chasing a modest total of 166, Rahul unleashed hell on the Daredevils from the get go. He struck at a strikerate of over 300 to take apart the new ball attack.
The Karnataka opener got to his fifty off just 14 balls but couldn’t prolong his innings as he succumbed at 51. Nevertheless, his early blitzkrieg helped KXIP chase down the total with six wickets in hand and the game was forever etched in history for producing the fastest half-century in IPL history.
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Anshuman Mahapatra
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