Shreyas Iyer was left stranded on 97 in Punjab Kings' first match of IPL 2025 against Gujarat Titans. How close was he to recording the IPL's fastest century?
Iyer's side were sent in to bat once he lost the toss at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. IPL debutant Priyansh Arya got them off to a quick start with a 23-ball 47, but once he fell it was the Iyer show.
Match 5, Gujarat Titans vs Punjab Kings
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Punjab's new skipper, and their highest-paid player, took on the bowling straightaway – hitting Kagiso Rabada for four off the first ball he faced. His first six came off his fourth ball, and in no time he had raced to 27 off 14 balls. Iyer brought up a half-century off 23 balls with the first of two consecutive sixes off Rashid Khan in the 14th over.
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He then took a mammoth 28 runs off the 17th over, bowled by Prasidh Krishna, moving to 90 off 38 balls. But as it happened, he faced just four balls in the last three overs, and remained unbeaten on 97 off 42 as Shashank Singh plundered the GT bowling attack.
Had he faced one more ball and hit a boundary, Iyer would have recorded the joint-seventh fastest century in IPL history, and the second-fastest in Punjab Kings history after David Miller's 38-ball effort in 2013. Therefore, getting to the three figure mark by 45 balls, just one more than he faced, would have earned him a spot in the all-time top 10, and ranked second for the franchise.
Fastest centuries in IPL history, full list
| Player | Balls | Team | Opposition | Venue | Year |
| Chris Gayle | 30 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Pune Warriors | Bangalore | 2013 |
| Yusuf Pathan | 37 | Rajasthan Royals | Mumbai Indians | Mumbai | 2010 |
| David Miller | 38 | Punjab Kings | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Mohali | 2013 |
| Travis Head | 39 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Bengaluru | 2024 |
| Will Jacks | 41 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Gujarat Titans | Ahmedabad | 2024 |
| Adam Gilchrist | 42 | Deccan Chargers | Mumbai Indians | Mumbai | 2008 |
| AB de Villiers | 43 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Gujarat Lions | Bangalore | 2016 |
| David Warner | 43 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Kolkata Knight Riders | Hyderabad | 2017 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | 45 | Mumbai Indians | Chennai Super Kings | Mumbai | 2008 |
| MA Agarwal | 45 | Punjab Kings | Rajasthan Royals | Sharjah | 2020 |
| Jonny Bairstow | 45 | Punjab Kings | Kolkata Knight Riders | Kolkata | 2024 |
| Ishan Kishan | 45 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Rajasthan Royals | Hyderabad | 2025 |
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