Highest individual score in IPL: From Brendon McCullum to Chris Gayle’s record 175*

Indian Premier League got off to a blazing start from the first match itself in 2008 when Brendon McCullum slammed an explosive 158 not out off just 73 balls. The knock was studded with 13 sixes and 10 fours, which powered Kolkata Knight Riders to 222 for 3, first 200-plus total in IPL.

But McCullum’s record for the highest individual score lasted for five years when Chris Gayle smashed an unbeaten 175 off just 66 balls for RCB against the now-defunct Pune Warriors in IPL 2013.

Gayle’s innings still remains the highest individual score in the IPL and is the highest in T20 cricket too. His strike-rate in that innings was 265.15 and included 13 fours and 17 sixes.

The West Indian reached his fifty in just 17 deliveries and then completed his century in only 30 balls, which is still the fastest hundred in IPL history. RCB went on to score a massive 263 for 5, a record that stood as the highest team total in the IPL for 11 years.

Gayle’s record has remained untouched, but Abhishek Sharma came close in IPL 2025. The Sunrisers Hyderabad opener played a stunning knock of 141 off 55 balls against Punjab Kings. It is the highest individual score by an Indian in IPL history, going past KL Rahul’s unbeaten 132 against RCB in 2020.

Highest scores by batters in IPL:

1. Chris Gayle – 175* (66 balls, 13 fours, 17 sixes, SR 265.15)
   RCB vs Warriors, Bengaluru, 23 Apr 2013
2. Brendon McCullum – 158* (73 balls, 10 fours, 13 sixes, SR 216.43)
   KKR vs RCB, Bengaluru, 18 Apr 2008
3. Abhishek Sharma – 141 (55 balls, 14 fours, 10 sixes, SR 256.36)
   SRH vs Punjab Kings, Hyderabad, 12 Apr 2025
4. Quinton de Kock – 140* (70 balls, 10 fours, 10 sixes, SR 200.00)
   LSG vs KKR, DY Patil, 18 May 2022
5. AB de Villiers – 133* (59 balls, 19 fours, 4 sixes, SR 225.42)
   RCB vs MI, Wankhede, 10 May 2015
6. KL Rahul – 132* (69 balls, 14 fours, 7 sixes, SR 191.30)
   Kings XI vs RCB, Dubai (DICS), 24 Sep 2020
7. AB de Villiers – 129* (52 balls, 10 fours, 12 sixes, SR 248.07)
   RCB vs Guj Lions, Bengaluru, 14 May 2016
8. Shubman Gill – 129 (60 balls, 7 fours, 10 sixes, SR 215.00)
   GT vs MI, Ahmedabad, 26 May 2023
9. Chris Gayle – 128* (62 balls, 7 fours, 13 sixes, SR 206.45)
   RCB vs Daredevils, Delhi, 17 May 2012
10. Rishabh Pant – 128* (63 balls, 15 fours, 7 sixes, SR 203.17)
    Daredevils vs SRH, Delhi, 10 May 2018