It was a sensational innings by flamboyant KL Rahul which saw him break the joint-record of Yusuf Pathan and Sunil Narine for the fastest half-century in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, the explosive batter KL Rahul smashed a 14-ball half-century which included some exceptional shots.
Interestingly, he started off with 16 of the opening over of Trent Boult and added impetus by smashing some more boundaries in the very next over of Mohammed Shami.
Similarly, the next over of Amit Mishra produced 24 runs as the leggie was literally smashed all-around the park.
On the other hand, The over of Mishra included three fours and a couple of sixes as Rahul reached his fifty in only the 14th delivery.
Also, here is the list of top five cricketers with fastest centuries in IPL:
KL Rahul- 51 of 14 deliveries Kings XI Punjab v Delhi Daredevils, IPL 2018:
There is nothing more to say about today’s knock as it will be forever etched in the history of IPL.
KL Rahul looked in murderous touch and gave a signal of what is about to come in the rest of the tournament.
If he can pull off even half of what he did through the course of the tournament, Punjab will feel that he was worth the prize. His innings of 51 included six fours and four sixes.
Yusuf Pathan- 15 balls, Kolkata Knight Riders v Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL 2014:
It was a brilliant knock from the big Baroda lad. In the final league game for his franchise and they needed to chase the required target of 161 in 15.2 overs to gets two shots at the final.
But, Yusuf was dropped twice in his innings but made full use of chances. He smashed 26 runs off a Dale Steyn over which ensured KKR reached the target in a mere 14.2 overs.
Sunil Narine- 15 balls Kolkata Knight Riders v Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL 2017:
Sunil Narine was elevated as the makeshift opener in the absence of their regular opener Chris Lynn last year (2017). They experimented with the mystery spinner and it paid off.
The left-handed batter got them off to brisk starts and retained his position as an opener even when Lyn returned as the opener in the playoffs. The southpaw smashed a 15-ball fifty against RCB.
During that knock, he smashed his teammate Samuel Badree for three consecutive sixes before smoking Sreenath Arvind for three consecutive fours and completed his fifty with a big six. He equalled the then record for the fastest IPL fifty held by Yusuf Pathan.
Suresh Raina- 16 balls Chennai Super Kings v Kings XI Punjab IPL 2014:
The 87-run innings of 25 balls still remain the best innings in a losing cause.
Raina looked in ominous touch during the Qualifiers 2 in the 2014 edition. The southpaw smashed the most runs in the powerplays. His innings included some gorgeous extra cover shots.
His innings helped Chennai race off to a score of 100 in the powerplays.
Chris Gayle- 17 balls Royal Challengers Bangalore v Pune Warriors India, IPL 2013:
It was arguably the greatest innings in IPL history. The aggressive batsman scored the highest ever score in the IPL, as the big man from Jamaica smashed 175 of a mere 66 deliveries which included 13 fours and 17 sixes.
Bengaluru-based professional reached his half-century in only the 14th delivery and in doing so he became the third fastest to reach a half-century. He went from 50 to 100 in just 13 deliveries.
However, KL Rahul kept smashing sixes at will. Among all his special knocks, this will remain the best in the lot.
Here’s the Newsfeed:
IPL 2018: Twitter Erupts As Kings XI Punjab Steamroll Delhi Daredevils
IPL 2018: Twitter Reacts to KL Rahul’s Record-breaking Knock against Delhi Daredevils
