Top 5 slowest centuries (100) in IPL

Two RCB batsmen hold the record for joint-slowest century in the IPL.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a tournament where batters from several different countries come together to showcase their talents. Starting in 2008, the league has captured the imagination of every cricket fan, everywhere.

One of the best things to see in the IPL matches is batters making centuries. There is nothing better than seeing a batter dominate the entire innings and complete an amazing ton. While some batters have scored centuries at the speed of wind, there are some, who took ages to complete the century and proved to be counterproductive. On that note, we look at five such slow centuries in the history of the league.

Here are the 5 slowest centuries ever in IPL:

5. David Warner – 66 balls vs KKR, IPL 2010:

This was the 26th match of the IPL 2010 and Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) decided to bat first after captain Gautam Gambhir won the toss. David Warner led the way on a sluggish Delhi pitch and scored 107* in 69 balls with 9 fours and 5 sixes. His century came off 66 balls, and only one other batter crossed the double digits.

Paul Collingwood made 53 in 45 balls as DD posted 177/4 in 20 overs. In response, Delhi bowlers didn’t let the KKR batters settle in. Chris Gayle top-scored with 30, while David Hussey made 29 as KKR made 137/9 and lost by 40 runs.

4. Jos Buttler – 66 balls vs MI, IPL 2022:

This match between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians was played at the DY Patil Stadium and saw MI winning the toss and choosing to chase. Jos Buttler in a purple patch, led from the front with a hundred in 66 balls. He he couldn’t add more to his tally after completing his hundred and ended his innings after 68 deliveries with 11 fours and 5 sixes. The next best score was Shimron Hetmyer’s 35 and Sanju Samson’s 30 as RR posted 193/8.

Navdeep Saini and Yuzvendra Chahal picked two wickets each as MI was restricted to 170/8 in 20 overs. Ishan Kishan made 54 and Tilak Varma hit 61 runs. MI still lost by 23 runs. It was a brilliant IPL 2022 for Jos Buttler as he scored four centuries and over 800 runs for RR.

3. Sachin Tendulkar – 66 balls vs KTK, IPL 2011:

The Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar adapted to T20 cricket well during his time in the Indian Premier League. He captained the Mumbai Indians in several seasons and in IPL 2011, he scored his only T20 and IPL century. It came in the match against Kochi Tuskers Kerala and was played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

KTK captain Mahela Jayawardene won the toss and chose to bowl first. Tendulkar anchored one end and scored 100* in 66 balls with 12 fours and 3 sixes. Ambati Rayudu propelled MI to 182/2 with a knock of 53 in just 33 balls. In response, Brendon McCullum destroyed MI bowling with 81 in 60 balls, while Jayawardene made 56 runs as KTK won by 8 wickets in 19 overs.

2. Manish Pandey – 67 balls vs DC, IPL 2009:

Until the IPL 2009, all the centuries hit in the tournament had come from the bat of foreign players. But in the 56th match of the IPL 2009 in Centurion, Manish Pandey became the first Indian to score an IPL century. RCB captain Anil Kumble won the toss and chose to bat first against Deccan Chargers.

Pandey opened the batting and scored 114* in 73 balls with 4 sixes and 10 fours to his name. With Roelof van der Merwe scoring 23 and Virat Kohli making 19*, RCB posted 170/4 in 20 overs. In reply, DC managed 158/6 in 20 overs with Herschelle Gibbs top-scoring with 60, and lost by 12 runs. Manish Pandey had completed his century in 67 balls in this game and now jointly holds the record for the slowest IPL centruy.

1. Virat Kohli – 67 balls vs RR, IPL 2024:

And joining Manish Pandey at the top spot for the slowest IPL century ever is Virat Kohli. He achieved the unwanted feat in the 19th match of IPL 2024, played between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur on April 6, 2024.

RR captain Sanju Samson won the toss and sent RCB in to bat first. Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis scored 125 runs for the first wicket. The RCB captain scored 44 in 33 balls before being removed, but Virat Kohli continued at one end on a sluggish pitch.

He concluded with 113* in 72 balls, 12 fours, and 4 sixes to help RCB reach 183/3 in 20 overs. Kohli’s 8th IPL century came in 67 balls, giving him the unwelcome distinction of the joint slowest-ever IPL ton.

(All stats updated till 6th April, 2024)

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