Fastest 50s in IPL

The Indian T20 League has seen countless jaw-dropping moments, but nothing gets the adrenaline pumping like the fastest 50s. Scoring a half-century in no time takes incredible skill, precision, and raw determination. These lightning-fast innings mesmerize fans. We have witnessed some magnificent individual performances by both Indian and overseas cricketers over the years in the Indian T20 League. It's a thrill ride you won't want to miss! Here's the list of the cricketers who have scored the fastest 50s until the 16th edition of the Indian T20 League.

On May 11, 2023, he achieved the fastest half-century in the Indian T20 League in just 13 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders, surpassing the previous record jointly held by KL Rahul and Pat Cummins. He finished the 2023 Indian T20 League as Rajasthan's top run scorer with 625 runs in 14 matches. In the 2024 Indian T20 League, Jaiswal scored an unbeaten 104 runs, leading the Royals to victory over Mumbai.

In the 2018 Indian T20 League Auction, KL Rahul was bought by Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) for INR 11 crore, which was the joint-third highest price. In the team's first match of the season in 2018, he scored the fastest 50 in Indian T20 League history against Delhi Daredevils (Delhi Capitals), taking 14 balls to reach the milestone and breaking the record of Sunil Narine. Throughout the season, KL Rahul scored 659 runs at a strike rate of 158.41 and an average of 54.91. He finished the 2018 season as the third-highest run-scorer.

In 2022, Rahul left the Punjab Kings and joined Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as their captain. In the 2024 Indian T20 League season, Rahul played 14 matches and scored 520 runs, including four half-centuries, at a strike rate of 136.13.

In the 2022 Indian T20 League Season, KKR was chasing a total of 161 runs. At 13.1 overs, they had lost five wickets with 104 runs on the board. Following that, Pat Cummins, the current Australian Captain, put on a remarkable batting performance. He hit 6 sixes and 4 boundaries, leading KKR to a victory with 24 balls to spare. Cummins also became the third-fastest 50-run scorer in the Indian T20 League, reaching the milestone in just 14 balls.

In the Indian T20 League 2024 season, Cummins captained Sunrisers Hyderabad. The team finished the League stage in 2nd position on the points table, with eight wins in 14 matches. Ultimately, Sunrisers ended the tournament as runners-up, losing in the final against Kolkata Knight Riders. In the same season, Cummins secured 18 wickets.

In the 2014 Indian T20 League season, the Kolkata Knight Riders won the trophy for the second time. Yusuf Pathan's outstanding batting performances contributed to their victory. He achieved a record 15-ball half-century against the Sunrisers, making him one of the fastest 50-scorers in Indian T20 League history. In a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders needed to chase 161 runs in 15.2 overs to secure second place and had two chances at reaching the final. When Yusuf Pathan came to bat, they required 106 runs from 47 balls. Pathan's standout moment came when he reached 50 runs in just 15 balls, including a remarkable over against Dale Steyn, where he scored 26 runs (4-6-6-4-4-2). Ultimately, Pathan's quickfire 72 runs off 22 balls helped the Knight Riders beat Sunrisers with 34 balls to spare. He continued with solid performances in the qualifiers and the final. His last Indian T20 League appearance was in 2019, when he represented the Rajasthan Royals.

After their crucial batsman Chris Lynn suffered an injury early in the 2017 season, Kolkata Knight Rider's captain, Gautam Gambhir, decided to experiment with Sunil Narine as an opening batsman. Promoted up the batting order, Narine achieved the fastest 50 in Indian T20 League history. Scoring 50 off 15 balls, including 6 boundaries and 4 sixes, he outperformed the Royal Challengers Bangalore's bowling attack and helped KKR secure a victory on RCB's home ground. His ability to provide quick starts allowed him to maintain his position as an opener even after Lynn's return. Narine tied the record for the fastest half-century in the Indian T20 League with a lofted shot for a six.

The 2023 cricket game between Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore had an exciting finish. West Indian player Nicholas Pooran scored a fifty in just 15 balls, setting the stage for a thrilling match. He achieved a striking rate of 326.31. Chasing a target of 213 set by Royal Challengers, Pooran came to bat when Lucknow still needed 114 runs from 56 balls. He started with 10 runs from five deliveries but scored 62 runs from 19 balls. Seven deliveries were hit for sixes, and four went for fours. Pooran reached his half-century in just 15 deliveries, aggressively taking on every bowler. When he got out, Lucknow Super Giants needed only 24 runs from 18 balls and eventually secured a one-wicket win on the final ball of the match.

In the Indian T20 League 2024, Pooran hit 36 sixes and 35 fours, his highest boundary count so far. His aggressive batting led to more than 70% of his runs coming from boundaries, averaging a boundary every 3.94 balls. With 499 runs from 14 matches, he secured the second-highest run-scorer position in the season, just behind captain KL Rahul. Overall, he ranked eighth in the list of highest run-scorers for the season.

In his Indian T20 League debut, Jake Fraser-McGurk of Delhi Capitals scored 50 runs from 15 balls in two matches. He achieved this remarkable feat once against Sunrisers Hyderabad and once against Mumbai Indians at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday, 27th April 2024. Fraser-McGurk's 15-ball fifty equalled the record for the fastest half-century of the season.

The young Australian cricketer displayed an outstanding performance against Mumbai Indians, facing the pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Luke Wood, and Nuwan Thusara aggressively during the powerplay. Fraser-McGurk became the first player in the history of T20 cricket to complete his fifty in 15 or fewer balls twice in one Indian T20 League season. This accomplishment also matches a record held by Travis Head in T20 cricket.

In the match between Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab, Raina's innings of 87 off 25 balls is considered one of the best in Indian T20 League history, despite his team losing the match. His aggressive batting helped his team achieve the highest-ever powerplay score in Indian T20 League history. Unfortunately, he was run out in the 7th over when he was well on his way to scoring the fastest hundred in T20 history. Chasing a target of 226 set by the Kings XI Punjab, Raina played an outstanding innings, hitting 12 fours and 6 sixes. He reached 50 runs in just 16 balls, equaling the previous record for the fastest 50 in the Indian T20 League set by Yusuf Pathan just six days prior.

The 2021 Indian T20 League was special for Mumbai Indians, with Ishan Kishan's standout innings of 82 runs from 32 balls. He scored the fastest 50 in 16 balls, helping MI reach 235 runs in 20 overs. Despite various bowlers being tried by Sunrisers, Kishan continued to dominate, reaching 63 off 22 balls at the end of the powerplay. He was eventually dismissed after scoring 124 runs for MI in 9.1 overs.

During Sunrisers Hyderabad's Indian T20 League 2024 match against Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad, Abhishek Sharma scored a fifty in just 16 balls, breaking the record previously held by Australia's Travis Head in the same match. This achievement surpassed Travis Head's 18-ball half-century, which had broken David Warner's record of 20 balls against Chennai Super Kings in 2015. Piyush Chawla ended Abhishek Sharma's aggressive innings in the 11th over, but only after he had scored 63 runs off just 23 balls, including seven maximums.

Travis Head scored a quickfire fifty off 16 balls to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad against Lucknow Super Giants at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. He reached his fifty by hitting Naveen-ul-Haq for consecutive boundaries, achieving the milestone in just 16 balls. Head had also scored a 16-ball fifty in the previous season against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium last month. His partner, Abhishek Sharma, also scored a 16-ball 50 at the same venue, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal.

The Kolkata Knight Riders set a target of 174 runs. Kieron Pollard achieved the fastest 50 in the 2016 Indian T20 League, reaching it in just 17 balls. The Mumbai Indians dominated the KKR at the Wankhede Stadium, winning the game with two overs to spare. Pollard's impressive performance included hitting 6 sixes at a strike rate of 300. He remained unbeaten until the end of the match.

How can the universal boss not make the cut on our list of the fastest 50s in the Indian T20 League? This remains the greatest Indian T20 League innings in history. An unbeaten 175* by Chris Gayle blew the Pune Warriors away. The Gayle storm caused major havoc at Chinnaswamy in the Indian T20 League 2013. He hit 17 sixes and a further 13 fours, registering the fastest 50 of just 17 balls. Apart from these, Hardik Pandya (Mumbai Indians), Adam Gilchrist (Deccan Chargers), and Chris Morris (Delhi Capitals) have also registered the fastest 50s in just 17 balls as well.

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