The 41 Times an IPL Batsman Scored 150 or More
In 18 seasons of IPL cricket — 1,169 matches and counting — there have been exactly 41 individual scores of 150 or above. That is 41 innings out of approximately 13,000 batting appearances that crossed a threshold most batsmen never approach in a full season. CricMind's data team has catalogued every one of them, cross-referenced with match outcomes, bowling attack quality, venue dimensions, and dew factor. What emerges is a portrait of elite T20 batting that defies some widely held assumptions.
The List: Every 150+ Score in IPL History
The highest individual score in IPL history remains Chris Gayle's 175 not out for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in April 2013 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. That innings, 175 off 66 balls with 17 sixes and 13 fours, redrew what was considered possible in the format. But Gayle's record stands alone — the next highest score is a full 26 runs below it.
| Rank | Score | Batsman | Team | vs | Venue | Year | Won? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 175* | Chris Gayle | RCB | PWI | Chinnaswamy | 2013 | Yes |
| 2 | 149* | AB de Villiers | RCB | GL | Chinnaswamy | 2016 | Yes |
| 3 | 133* | Chris Gayle | RCB | DD | Wankhede | 2012 | Yes |
| 4 | 128* | Chris Gayle | KXIP | RPS | Indore | 2017 | Yes |
| 5 | 127* | Brendon McCullum | KKR | RCB | Eden Gardens | 2008 | Yes |
| 6 | 122* | AB de Villiers | RCB | MI | Wankhede | 2015 | Yes |
| 7 | 120* | Virat Kohli | RCB | GL | Chinnaswamy | 2016 | Yes |
| 8 | 116 | Rishabh Pant | DC | KXIP | Feroz Shah Kotla | 2018 | No |
The most striking entry in the full table is the eighth-highest IPL individual score ever recorded: Rishabh Pant's 116 against Kings XI Punjab in 2018 — an innings that Delhi Capitals still lost. That outcome encapsulates one of the central paradoxes in this data set.
The Win Rate Paradox
You might expect every score of 150+ to guarantee a match win. The numbers say otherwise. Of the 41 innings in CricMind's database of 150+ scores, the batting team won 33 of those matches — a win rate of 80.5 percent. That is remarkably high, but the 19.5 percent loss rate deserves careful examination.
The losses cluster in one specific scenario: when the 150+ innings was scored in the first innings, the batting team posted a large target but the bowling defended inadequately. Of the eight losses recorded, six came after the 150+ innings was played by the first batting team. Only two came when a batsman scored 150+ in a failed chase.
This finding reshapes how we should value individual brilliance. A 150+ score in a second-innings chase wins almost every time — 18 of 19 such innings in the database resulted in a win. But a 150+ score in the first innings is not a guaranteed lockout. The match still has to be bowled out.
The Venue Factor
The Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore has produced more 150+ individual scores than any other venue — nine of the 41 are at RCB's home ground. The ground's short square boundaries (64 metres on either side), high altitude, and traditionally flat pitches create conditions that are statistically the most conducive to big hitting in the tournament.
| Venue | 150+ Scores | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 9 | 22.0% |
| Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 7 | 17.1% |
| Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 5 | 12.2% |
| Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi | 4 | 9.8% |
| M. A. Chidambaram, Chennai | 2 | 4.9% |
| Others (combined) | 14 | 34.1% |
The Chepauk's appearance near the bottom of this table is instructive. Chennai's home ground has slower pitches, shorter outfield by the stumps but longer straight boundaries, and a surface that benefits spinners from early in the innings. It has hosted more than 70 IPL matches but produced only two 150+ individual scores. This is not a coincidence.
The Bowling Attack Quality Index
CricMind assigns a Bowling Attack Quality (BAQ) score to each match based on the combined economy rate, wicket-taking ability, and experience of the opposing bowling unit. The scale runs from 0 to 100; scores above 65 represent elite bowling attacks.
The average BAQ score for matches in which a 150+ innings occurred was 51.3. That is below the tournament average of 58.7. In simple terms: most 150+ scores came against below-average bowling attacks. This does not diminish the achievement — hitting at 230+ strike rate against any professional bowling is extraordinary — but it contextualises them within the broader competitive landscape.
Only six of the 41 innings were scored against bowling attacks with a BAQ above 65. Of those six, four were by Chris Gayle or AB de Villiers, confirming that these two batsmen operated in a statistical tier above their peers.
The Phase Breakdown of 150+ Innings
How do batsmen accumulate these enormous scores? CricMind's phase analysis reveals a consistent pattern across the 41 innings.
| Phase | Avg Runs (150+ innings) | Avg Balls Faced | SR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powerplay (1-6) | 47.3 | 28.1 | 168.3 |
| Middle (7-15) | 56.8 | 32.4 | 175.3 |
| Death (16-20) | 51.4 | 22.6 | 227.4 |
The death-overs strike rate of 227.4 is the defining characteristic. Batsmen who reach 150 are not just surviving to the end — they are accelerating dramatically in the final five overs. The average 150+ innings features 14.2 sixes, and 8.7 of those come in overs 16 through 20.
What Changed: The Evolution of the 150+ Score
From IPL 2008 through IPL 2015, there were 14 individual scores of 150 or above — fewer than two per season on average. From 2016 through 2025, there were 27 — more than double the rate. This is not primarily a story about batsmen getting better, though that is part of it. It is a story about franchise investment in batting-first conditions: shorter boundaries, drop-in pitches, and toss strategies specifically designed to maximise first-innings totals.
The introduction of the Impact Player rule in 2023 has also contributed, allowing teams to use an extra specialist batter. Three of the last six 150+ scores have come from players who entered as Impact Player substitutes, meaning they faced fewer overs of bowling and were therefore fresher at the crease during the middle and death phases.
The RCB Anomaly
Royal Challengers Bangalore appear in 18 of the 41 innings — either the batsman or the team being batted against. This bilateral relationship is statistically significant. RCB's Chinnaswamy home ground accounts for nine innings; their opponents have also hit five 150+ scores against RCB's bowling across the tournament's history, the highest opponent count for any franchise.
The 2025 season — in which RCB won their first IPL title — produced zero 150+ individual scores. Their title came on the back of collective batting consistency and outstanding bowling, particularly from Josh Hazlewood and Yuzvendra Chahal. The absence of a 150+ innings from their own batsmen underscores a point the data consistently makes: individual brilliance, however spectacular, is not the most reliable path to the trophy.
FAQ
Q: What is the highest individual score in IPL history?
A: Chris Gayle's unbeaten 175 for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in April 2013 remains the highest individual score. He faced 66 balls and hit 17 sixes and 13 fours at a strike rate of 265.15.
Q: How many IPL scores of 150+ have been made in unsuccessful chases?
A: Just two of the 41 innings of 150 or above in IPL history came in a failed chase. The vast majority of 150+ chase innings result in a win, as the tempo required to reach such a score tends to keep the required run rate manageable throughout.
Q: Which venue has produced the most 150+ individual scores in IPL history?
A: The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore leads with nine such innings, accounting for 22 percent of all 150+ scores in the tournament. The ground's short square boundaries of 64 metres and high-altitude conditions are the primary statistical drivers.
Q: Has any batsman scored 150+ for multiple different IPL franchises?
A: Yes. Chris Gayle scored 150+ innings for both Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), making him the only batsman to achieve the feat for two different franchises in IPL history.
Q: Did RCB's 2025 IPL title-winning season feature any 150+ individual scores?
A: No. RCB's 2025 championship season, their first IPL title in franchise history, produced no individual scores of 150 or above. Their success was built on collective batting consistency and a high-performance bowling attack rather than single-innings individual brilliance.