IPL Highest Individual Scores: The All-Time Record Innings
Chris Gayle's 175 not out against Pune Warriors India at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 23, 2013, remains one of the most astonishing batting performances in the history of T20 cricket. The Jamaican left-hander reached his hundred in just 30 balls and ended with a score that has stood unchallenged for over a decade.
Gayle's innings included 17 sixes and 13 fours. He scored 175 off just 66 balls at a strike rate of 265.15. His innings helped RCB post 263/5 — the highest team total in IPL history. Gayle himself scored more than 66% of RCB's total, a level of batting domination rarely seen at this level.
IPL's Top 10 Individual Scores
| Rank | Score | Batter | Team | Opponent | Year | Balls | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 175* | Chris Gayle | RCB | PWI | 2013 | 66 | 265.15 |
| 2 | 133* | Brendon McCullum | KKR | RCB | 2008 | 73 | 182.19 |
| 3 | 128* | Chris Gayle | KXIP | Delhi | 2018 | 69 | 185.50 |
| 4 | 127* | Rilee Rossouw | SRH | MI | 2022 | 55 | 230.90 |
| 5 | 116 | Adam Gilchrist | KXIP | RR | 2008 | 56 | 207.14 |
| 6 | 115* | Mayank Agarwal | KXIP | RR | 2020 | 62 | 185.48 |
| 7 | 114* | Michael Hussey | CSK | RCB | 2008 | 60 | 190.00 |
| 8 | 109* | AB de Villiers | RCB | GL | 2016 | 55 | 198.18 |
| 9 | 107 | Shane Watson | RR | DC | 2009 | 59 | 181.35 |
| 10 | 104* | Virat Kohli | RCB | GL | 2016 | 63 | 165.07 |
What Separates Gayle's 175* from Every Other Innings
What separates Gayle's 175* from every other innings on this list is the combination of volume and rate. Most of the other entries are accelerating innings — batters who came in and launched an assault. Gayle's innings was already at a scale that batters rarely reach in a full 50-over innings, let alone a 20-over match.
Gayle has two entries in the top three — his 175 in 2013 and his 128 for KXIP against Delhi in 2018. At age 38 during that second innings, he was still capable of dismantling IPL attacks with the same brutality that defined his peak years.
McCullum's Opening Night Classic
Brendon McCullum's 73-ball 133* in the very first IPL match in 2008 set the tone for an entire tournament format. Against RCB at the Eden Gardens, McCullum destroyed an attack that included Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble. That single innings effectively defined the spectacle that IPL promised and delivered.
Rossouw's Thunderbolt
Rilee Rossouw's 55-ball 127* for SRH against MI in 2022 is perhaps the most underrated innings on this list. Coming in during the middle overs against MI's quality pace attack, the South African left-hander reached his century in just 48 balls and finished with a strike rate of 230.90 — the second-best strike rate among all centuries in IPL history.
The RCB 2016 Collection
The 2016 IPL season produced a remarkable concentration of elite batting. Kohli's 104 from that season appears at number 10, joined by De Villiers' 109 at number 8 — both from the same campaign, during which RCB's top three were statistically the most destructive unit in IPL history.
IPL Century Count by Batter
Virat Kohli leads the all-time IPL centuries chart with six, followed by Chris Gayle with five and KL Rahul with four. Only seven batters in IPL history have scored three or more centuries in the tournament.
FAQ
Q: What is the highest individual score in IPL history?
Chris Gayle scored 175 not out off 66 balls for RCB against Pune Warriors India in 2013 — the highest individual score in IPL history.
Q: Has anyone scored 150 in an IPL innings other than Gayle?
No. Gayle's 175 is the only IPL score above 133. Brendon McCullum holds the second-highest score at 133 from the very first IPL match in 2008.
Q: Who has scored the most centuries in IPL history?
Virat Kohli holds the record for most IPL centuries with six, all for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.