IPL is a franchise T20 league, and like another T20 competition, it also witnesses batsmen smashing quickfire knocks every season. So far, there have been 15 seasons of the Indian Premier League. There were many matches when batters shattered quickfire knocks and enthralled fans to the fullest.
While batsmen sometimes play cameos during their quickfire knocks, there are also times when they shattered a century or half-century. There have been few instances when batsmen slammed a quickfire half-century and scripted records of fastest fifties. If we talk about the fastest fifties in IPL, there is a tie between two players.
Below we take a glance at this topic in detail.
1. Yashasvi Jaiswal- Half-Century Off 13 balls (IPL 2023)
The 21-year old star has shattered IPL records by smashing the fastest fifty of this International League off only 13 deliveries. Yashasvi accomplished this feat against Kolkata Knight Riders in the latest edition of the Indian Premier League.
The Rajasthan Royals batter provided a commanding start to his team’s innings by scoring 24 runs in the 1st over. His destructive batting style helped him to complete his half-century in just 3 overs at an impressive strike rate of 385.
The opening batsman smashed 5 sixes and 12 fours in his admirable innings. Jaiswal’s dominating performance helped Rajasthan Royals achieve their target in just 13.1 overs. However, the young talent fell short of completing his century by just 2 runs as the target was achieved. He remained not out at 98 runs off 47 deliveries.
2. KL Rahul- Half-Century Off 14 balls (IPL 2018)
KL Rahul smacked the fastest half-century in IPL 2018 when he was a member of Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings). On April 8, 2018, at IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali, Rahul made the record for the fastest fifty. It was just the second match of the tournament and KL Rahul enthralled fans with his entertaining batting.
Punjab Kings faced Delhi Capitals in the match. Batting first, Delhi Capitals piled up 166-7. Skipper Gautam Gambhir (55) scored a fifty for the team to take them to a decent total.
Then came the 2nd innings, when Punjab Kings went on to chase the 168-run target. Who would have thought that KL Rahul would shatter all previous records to bag the milestone of the fastest half-century in IPL history in the game?
KL Rahul arrived at the crease as an opener with partner Mayank Agarwal. While Agarwal remained on one side, scoring just 7 runs, KL Rahul went on to storm Kings XI Punjab bowlers all around the park.
The right-handed batsman hit 6 fours and 4 sixes to score fifty off just 14 balls. Batting at a strike rate of 318.75, Rahul came up with an outstanding start to the team’s batting. However, he lost his wicket just after reaching 51 runs off 16 balls.
Later, Karun Nair later scored another fifty for Kings XI Punjab as they managed to win the match by 6 wickets in the end. KL Rahul not only thrilled the spectators with his bashing but also led the team to victory in the tournament’s opening game.
With his stupendous half-century, KL Rahul also managed to win the man of the match award. However, he definitely won a much greater reward than that by scripting the record for the fastest half-century in IPL. Till today, this record is unbroken, but there is only one more player to share it, named Pat Cummins.
3. Pat Cummins- Half-Century Off 14 Balls (IPL 2022)
Pat Cummins also holds the record for the fastest half-century in IPL as he also scored a fifty off 14 balls. Cummins’ astonishing knock came in IPL 2022 when he played for Kolkata Knight Riders.
On April 6, 2022, in a match against Mumbai Indians at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, Pat Cummins scripted the record for the fastest half-century in IPL and shared the record with KL Rahul. The right-handed batter slammed unbeaten 56 runs off 15 balls in the match.
In the match, Mumbai Indians batted first and scored 161-4 in 20 overs. Suryakumar Yadav scored a quickfire knock of 52 runs off 36 balls in the match to help Mumbai Indians reach a decent total on the scoreboard.
Later, Kolkata Knight Riders lost opener Ajinkya Rahane for just 7 runs. KKR lost 4 middle-order batters cheaply as Shreyas Iyer (10), Sam Billings (17), Nitish Rana (8), and Andre Russell (11) got out quickly. After Kolkata Knight Riders’ middle order fell apart, Mumbai Indians definitely thought they can outplay the opposition in the match.
But Pat Cummins made a dramatic entry into the game when his team lost 5 wickets in the chase. Smacking 4 fours and 6 sixes during his knock, Pat Cummins managed to reach his fifty off just 14 balls to script history.
In the end, he scored unbeaten 56 runs off 15 balls to drive his team to victory in just 16 overs. Kolkata Knight Riders won the match by 5 wickets, and Pat Cummins won the man of the match award.
4. Yusuf Pathan and Sunil Narine- Half-Century Off 15 Balls
If we take a look at the leaderboard for the fastest half-centuries in IPL, there is a narrow competition among batters. While KL Rahul and Pat Cummins top this chart, there are also some notable mentions.
Yusuf Pathan and Sunil Narine have both slammed fifties in IPL off just 15 balls. Both of them scored their knocks while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders. While former India player Yusuf Pathan stormed this knock in IPL 2014, West Indies all-rounder, Sunil Narine, shattered his knock in IPL 2017.
If we go below in the list, two players have achieved the record of scoring half-centuries off just 16 balls in the IPL. Suresh Raina achieved the record while playing for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2014. On the other hand, Ishan Kishan scored achieved this milestone while playing for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2022.
Conclusion
While there have been several quickfire fifties in IPL, KL Rahul and Pat Cummins are on top of the list. Both of them currently hold the record for the fastest fifty in IPL off just 14 balls. However, with the way players smash quickfire knocks in the Indian Premier League, it will not be wrong to say that this record can be broken in the near future.
FAQs
1. Who holds the record for the fastest half-century in IPL?
Ans: Yashasvi Jaiswal holds the record for the fastest half-century in IPL off just 13 balls.
2. When did KL Rahul score the fastest half-century in IPL?
Ans: KL Rahul scored the fastest half-century in IPL in IPL 2018 when he was part of the Punjab Kings.
3. When did Pat Cummins score the fastest half-century in the IPL?
Ans: Pat Cummins scored the fastest half-century in IPL in IPL 2022 while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders.
4. Against whom KL Rahul and Pat Cummins scored their fastest half-centuries in IPL?
Ans: KL Rahul scored his fastest half-century in IPL against Delhi Capital, while Pat Cummins scored his fastest IPL half-century against Mumbai Indians.
5. Who holds the record for the third-fastest half-century in IPL?
Ans: Yusuf Pathan and Sunil Narine hold the record for the third fastest half-century in IPL off just 15 balls.
