The Indian Premier League is an immensely popular cricket league celebrated like a festival in India. The T20 format mostly sees batters dominate the game, with some enthralling knocks witnessed in the past few seasons from the world's best players. Every season brings new batting records, and the upcoming season is expected to be no different. In this article, we will look at the top five highest individual scores in the history of IPL, with four out of five scored at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
| Player | Runs | Balls | Against | 6/4 | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Gayle | 175* | 66 | PWI | 17/13 | 265.15 |
| Brendon McCullum | 158* | 73 | RCB | 13/10 | 216.43 |
| Quinton de Kock | 140* | 70 | KKR | 10/10 | 200 |
| AB de Villiers | 133* | 59 | MI | 4/19 | 225.42 |
| KL Rahul | 132* | 69 | RCB | 7/14 | 191.3 |
Chris Gayle, widely regarded as one of the most formidable batsmen in world cricket, is a force to be reckoned with in T-20 cricket. He has played numerous spectacular innings throughout his career and is known for his ability to hit sixes at will.
In the 2013 edition of the IPL, he played one of the greatest innings in T-20 cricket against Pune Warriors India. Batting at the top of the order on a Bangalore wicket that was ideal for batting, Gayle single-handedly decimated the Pune Warriors bowling attack, scoring 175 runs off just 66 balls at a strike rate of 265.15.
His innings included an incredible 17 sixes and 13 fours. Gayle's performance helped RCB post a colossal total of 263 runs, which they went on to defend by a massive margin of 130 runs. In that season, Gayle was the second-highest run-scorer with a total of 708 runs.
Brendon McCullum is known for his destructive batting skills in the cricket world. In the very first match of the IPL's inaugural season, he set the tone for the league by playing a historic inning. He opened the innings for Kolkata Knight Riders and scored a massive 158 runs off just 73 deliveries against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He struck 10 fours and an impressive 13 sixes in his innings.
McCullum's innings was full of entertaining shots and he dominated the RCB bowlers right from the start. He smashed boundaries all over the ground and sent the ball soaring over the boundary ropes with his power-packed shots. His stunning performance propelled the Kolkata Knight Riders to a mammoth total of 222 runs in their 20 overs. The RCB team, in response, could only manage 82 runs, thus handing KKR a massive victory by a margin of 140 runs.
Lucknow Super Giants opener Quinton de Kock put on a stunning display of batting in a crucial match against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the DY Patil Stadium. De Kock smashed an unbeaten 140, showcasing his talent and skill with the bat. His innings was a masterclass in T20 batting, as he took the KKR bowlers to task and scored runs all around the ground.
De Kock’s record unbeaten opening partnership of 210 with captain KL Rahul was also the total of his side. The duo put on a batting clinic, taking their team to a formidable total. However, their efforts nearly proved not enough as KKR came within 3 runs of a win. It was a nail-biting finish, with both teams fighting hard until the very end.
Ab de Villiers is known for his versatile batting style and his ability to score runs quickly. He is considered as one of the greatest batsmen of his generation. In the 2015 IPL season, de Villiers played a match-winning innings against Mumbai Indians. He scored a magnificent 133 runs off just 59 balls, hitting 4 fours and 19 sixes at a strike rate of 225.42. His innings was filled with breathtaking shots all around the ground, leaving the MI bowlers clueless.
Thanks to de Villiers' stunning knock, RCB managed to post a mammoth total of 235 runs on the board. He had a great partnership with Virat Kohli, who also played a fantastic knock of 82 runs. Their partnership of 215 runs for the second wicket was instrumental in RCB's victory. In the end, RCB won the game comfortably by 39 runs, with de Villiers being the star performer of the match.
KL Rahul, the skipper of Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in IPL 2020, put on a masterful display of batting against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Dubai International Stadium. Rahul scored an unbeaten 132, hitting 14 boundaries and seven sixes in his innings. His knock was a combination of power and finesse, as he took the RCB bowlers to task and scored runs all around the ground.
Batting first, KXIP totalled 206 for 3, with Rahul leading the charge. His innings set up a formidable total for his team and put pressure on RCB. In the end, KXIP beat RCB by 97 runs, with Rahul’s knock proving to be the difference between the two sides. It was a dominant performance by KXIP and a memorable innings by Rahul.
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