Urvil Patel, the 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batter from Gujarat, has smashed the second-fastest T20 century ever, taking just 28 balls to reach the landmark during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024/25 match against Tripura.
Opening the batting in Indore, Urvil put on a one-man show, tearing apart the Tripura attack to hunt down the 156-run target with 58 balls to spare.
His innings consisted of seven fours and 12 sixes, remaining unbeaten in the eight-wicket win. His final strike rate stood at 322.86. In comparison, his opening partner was far more sedate, scoring 38 off 24.
Notably, Urvil was unsold in the IPL 2025 auction, having been let go by the Gujarat Titans, who had bought him ahead of the 2023 season, and finding no takers during the mega auction in Saudi Arabia earlier this week. He is yet to play an IPL game.
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Urvil has given a fine impression of his power-hitting in the recent past: last year, after being released by the Titans, he smashed a 41-ball century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India's domestic List A competition. It was the second-fastest List A hundred by an India batter, only behind Yusuf Pathan's 40-ball ton from 2010.
Unsold at IPL mega auction, Gujarat wicketkeeper-batter Urvil Patel smashes second-fastest T20 hundred off just 28 balls vs Tripura.
— Sahil Malhotra (@Sahil_Malhotra1) November 27, 2024
7 fours and 12 SIXES! pic.twitter.com/VX87LSUGLd
Incidentally, this knock comes exactly one year, down to the day, from his List A ton in Chandigarh.
The record for the fastest T20 century still stands with Estonia's Sahil Chauhan, also achieved this year. Before him, only Chris Gayle (RCB v Pune Warriors, IPL 2013) and scored a T20 century in 30 balls or fewer. Now, Urvil joins the list.
It is now officially the fastest T20 century by an India batter, beating Rishabh Pant's record from the 2018 edition of the same competition. Pant had taken 32 balls during the Delhi v Himachal Pradesh match.
Fastest T20 centuries ever, full list:
| Batter | Balls to 100 | Match (Team v Opposition) | Year |
| Sahil Chauhan | 27 | Estonia v Cyprus | 2024 |
| Urvil Patel | 28 | Gujarat v Tripura | 2024 |
| Chris Gayle | 30 | Royal Challengers Bangalore v Pune Warriors | 2013 |
| Rishabh Pant | 32 | Delhi v Himachal Pradesh | 2018 |
| Wihan Lubbe | 33 | North West v Limpopo | 2018 |
| Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton | 33 | Namibia v Nepal | 2024 |
| Sikandar Raza | 33 | Zimbabwe v Gambia | 2024 |
| Andrew Symonds | 34 | Kent v Middlesex | 2004 |
| Sean Abbott | 34 | Surrey v Kent | 2023 |
| Kushal Malla | 34 | Nepal v Mongolia | 2023 |
| Louis van der Westhuizen | 35 | Namibia v Kenya | 2011 |
| David Miller | 35 | South Africa v Bangladesh | 2017 |
| Rohit Sharma | 35 | India v Sri Lanka | 2017 |
| Martin Guptill | 35 | Worcestershire v Northamptonshire | 2018 |
| Khushdil Shah | 35 | Southern Punjab (Pakistan) v Sindh | 2020 |
| Dewald Brevis | 35 | Titans v Knights | 2022 |
Image credit: Urvil Patel/Instagram
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