Chris Gayle holds the record for the fastest men’s century in T20 cricket, getting to that mark off 30 balls – here is a list of players who have the fastest centuries in the format.
T20 has evolved considerably since its inception in the 2000s. Back then, it was perceived that getting a ton was one of the toughest tasks in the shortest format. But with batters being braver and their hitting getting cleaner, hundreds haven’t been at a premium. Gayle, in particular, has made a living out of scoring tons in T20 cricket, getting to the mark as many as 22 times in his career.
A lot of batters have bought into that philosophy, too, meaning that such occurrences aren’t as rare as they once were.
Fastest T20 centuries: The top five in men’s cricket
Sahil Chauhan: 27 balls, Estonia v Cyprus, Estonia tour of Cyprus 2024
In pursuit of 192 for victory, Estonian batter Sahil Chauhan came to the crease with his side 9-2 in 1.2 overs. Having scored a golden duck in the previous match between the teams on the same day, he appeared determined to make amends, and did so in some style. He smashed his way to a century off just 27 deliveries, finishing on 144* and taking his side over the line in just 13 overs. His 18 sixes in the innings is also a T20 record, joint-top with Chris Gayle.
Chris Gayle: 30 balls, Royal Challengers Bangalore v Pune Warriors, IPL 2013
At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in 2013, Gayle was at his belligerent best and smashed the Pune Warriors bowlers to all parts. He brought up his hundred off 30 balls and added another 75 runs to finish, rather astonishingly, at 175*. His knock also allowed the Royal Challengers Bangalore to post 263/5 from their stipulated 20 overs. That score is the highest any team has ever managed in the history of the IPL. This arguably is Gayle’s T20 magnum opus.
Rishabh Pant: 32 balls, Delhi v Himachal Pradesh, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2018
Post the 2017 IPL season, there were murmurs that Pant was a superstar waiting to explode. Though glimpses till then had only been fleeting, things started falling into place during the 2018 domestic season. Chasing 145 in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy game against Himachal Pradesh, Pant, who was opening the batting alongside Gautam Gambhir, plundered a 32-ball ton. He finished with a 116-run knock off 36 balls, which included eight fours and 12 sixes.
Wihan Lubbe: 33 balls, North West v Limpopo, Africa T20 Cup 2018
In an Africa T20 Cup match at Paarl, Lubbe tore into a listless Limpopo bowling attack. After the openers had ransacked 68 runs in 6.4 overs, Lubbe took matters into his own hands, smashing a 33-ball century, which was laced with five fours and 11 massive sixes. His team put up 262 on the board and comfortably won the game by 102 runs.
Andrew Symonds: 34 balls, Kent v Middlesex, T20 Cup 2004
A great white-ball exponent, Symonds wrote himself into T20 folklore by muscling a 34-ball ton against Middlesex during a South Group fixture of the Twenty20 Cup in 2004. Chasing 156 from 18 overs, the Aussie came into his own and smacked the ball to all parts, finishing with 112 runs off 43 balls. His knock also included 18 fours and three mammoth sixes.
Players who have scored a T20 century in 35 balls
Louis van der Westhuizen, Namibia v Kenya, 2011
David Miller, South Africa v Bangladesh, 2017
Rohit Sharma, India v Sri Lanka, 2017
Martin Guptill, Worcestershire vs Northamptonshire, 2018
Khushdil Shah, Southern Punjab (Pakistan) vs Sindh, 2020
Players who have scored a T20 century in 37 balls
Yusuf Pathan, Rajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians, 2010
Scott Styris, Sussex v Gloucestershire, 2012
Dan Christian, Nottinghamshire v Northamptonshire, 2018
Mohammed Azharuddeen, Kerala v Mumbai, 2021
