On a humid evening in Bengaluru, in April 2013, Chris Gayle did not so much score 175 as compose it. Sixty-six balls. Seventeen sixes. Pune Warriors. Chinnaswamy. The number remains untouched after thirteen IPL seasons. KL Rahul came closest in 2026 — an unbeaten 152 against his old club Punjab Kings, the highest score by an Indian. But twenty-three runs is twenty-three runs. The hunt continues.
The highest individual score by any Indian batter in nineteen years of IPL history. Twenty-three runs short of immortality.
Thirteen years of the IPL. One number nobody has surpassed. The all-time individual scoring chart, alphabetised against KL Rahul's 152* of IPL 2026 — the highest ever by an Indian, third overall, and still twenty-three runs from immortality.
| Rank | Batter | Score | Match | Season | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Gayle RCB · Left-hand · West Indies | 175*·66b The Legend | vs PWI (20 ov · 13×4 17×6) | 2013 | Chinnaswamy, Bengaluru |
| 2 | Brendon McCullum KKR · Right-hand · New Zealand | 158*·73b | vs RCB (20 ov · 10×4 13×6) | 2008 | Chinnaswamy, Bengaluru |
| 3 | KL Rahul DC · Right-hand · India | 152*·67b 2026 · Indian Record | vs PBKS (20 ov · 16×4 9×6) | 2026 | Arun Jaitley, Delhi |
| 4 | Abhishek Sharma SRH · Left-hand · India | 141·55b | vs PBKS (SR 256.36 · 14×4 10×6) | 2025 | Rajiv Gandhi, Hyderabad |
| 5 | Quinton de Kock LSG · Left-hand · South Africa | 140*·70b | vs KKR (20 ov) | 2022 | DY Patil, Mumbai |
| 6 | Abhishek Sharma SRH · Left-hand · India | 135*·68b 2026 | vs DC (20 ov · 10×4 10×6) | 2026 | Rajiv Gandhi, Hyderabad |
| 7 | AB de Villiers RCB · Right-hand · South Africa | 133*·59b | vs MI (20 ov · 19×4 4×6) | 2015 | Wankhede, Mumbai |
| 8 | KL Rahul PBKS · Right-hand · India | 132*·69b | vs RCB (20 ov) | 2020 | Sharjah |
| 9 | AB de Villiers RCB · Right-hand · South Africa | 129*·52b | vs Gujarat Lions (SR 248) | 2016 | Chinnaswamy, Bengaluru |
| 10 | Shubman Gill GT · Right-hand · India | 129·60b | vs MI (Qualifier 2) | 2023 | Narendra Modi, Ahmedabad |
"He raced to fifty in seventeen balls and his hundred in just thirty deliveries. Pune simply had no answer."
It was a Tuesday evening, the 23rd of April 2013, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The Royal Challengers Bangalore were hosting the now-defunct Pune Warriors India in match thirty-one of the IPL's sixth season. Chris Gayle, on the night, had no business being human.
He reached fifty in seventeen balls. He reached one hundred in thirty — still the fastest century in IPL history, and the first 30-ball T20 century ever recorded. By the time the Pune Warriors innings began, Gayle had hit thirty boundaries: thirteen fours, seventeen sixes. His individual contribution alone (175) was higher than Pune's eventual total (133 all out).
The 175* accounted for two-thirds of RCB's total of 263/5 — itself the highest team total in IPL at the time, a record that would stand for eleven years until SRH's 287/3 in 2024. Gayle's strike rate of 265.15 across a 60+ ball innings has not been replicated since.
Thirteen IPL seasons have passed. Over a thousand matches. Hundreds of centuries. Not a single batter has come within seventeen runs of the record. Brendon McCullum's 158* (2008) remains second. KL Rahul's 152* (2026) is third. The 175* sits, as it has for thirteen years, alone at the summit.
Five batsmen, in the spring and summer of 2026, possess the rare combination of patience and power required to threaten the record. Three of them are Indian. Two are foreign. One is fourteen years old.
The classically built Indian batter who scaled the highest individual score by any Indian in IPL history. Beat his old team, Punjab Kings — narrative-perfect. 23 runs short of Gayle's record. Rahul has the technique and temperament to repeat. Most likely Indian to break 175*.
The fourteen-year-old Bihar prodigy who reached 100 in 36 balls — second-fastest IPL century by an Indian. Strike rate 250+ across 400 IPL 2026 runs. If anyone breaks 175*, the bookmakers are already on him. Pure aggression. No fear. Only Suryavanshi has the fearless reckless ceiling required.
The 24-year-old from Amritsar who held the Indian individual record before KL Rahul. Currently leads IPL 2026 Orange Cap with 425 runs at 200+ SR. Already scored 135* this season. Of all candidates, Sharma has the most consistent threat to 175* — every match.
The Chennai Super Kings opener who became the first batter to score TWO centuries in IPL 2026. Held the highest individual score before KL Rahul's 152* surpassed it. Combination of elegant placement and brutal hitting. CSK home games at Chepauk could be his platform for a career-defining 150+ knock.
Part of SRH's iconic 287/3 against RCB in 2024 (alongside Klaasen 67 off 31). Strike rate 220+ in IPL career. Specifically capable of fast 100s in compressed timeframes. The opening partnership with Abhishek Sharma is the most explosive in IPL — a Travis Head 150+ at Chinnaswamy is a real possibility.
The South African finisher who can score 80 off 30 balls when needed. Limited shot at 175* because he typically bats at #5 — fewer balls to face. Klaasen would need an early wicket plus a 50+ over stay. Most likely route: a chase where SRH lose early wickets and Klaasen has time to bat through.
Probability the all-time IPL individual score record falls in IPL 2026. The number is small but not negligible — Suryavanshi's 250+ SR alone makes him a credible threat. The most likely path: a Chinnaswamy or Wankhede match where one of Suryavanshi, Sharma, or Rahul opens the batting, gets a flat pitch, no swing, and bats through. Even then, the 60+ ball stay AND 260+ strike rate combination is rare. Most analysts now expect the record to fall within the next 2-3 IPL seasons. The 200 mark may follow soon after.
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The IPL 2026 highest individual score race has produced one of the great storylines of the season. KL Rahul's unbeaten 152 off 67 balls for Delhi Capitals against Punjab Kings is now the highest individual score in IPL 2026 — and the highest individual score by any Indian batter in IPL history. Sixteen fours and nine sixes at a strike rate of 226.86. He surpassed the previous Indian record of 141 held by Abhishek Sharma (IPL 2025) and is now third on the all-time IPL individual scoring chart, behind only Chris Gayle's 175* from 2013 and Brendon McCullum's 158* from the very first IPL match in 2008.
Chris Gayle's 175* off 66 balls for RCB against Pune Warriors India on April 23, 2013, at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, has stood for thirteen years. The innings featured 13 fours and 17 sixes at a strike rate of 265.15. Gayle reached his fifty in 17 balls, his hundred in just 30 balls (also an IPL record). His 175 alone accounted for 66% of RCB's then-record team total of 263/5. The record is the highest individual score across all T20 franchise cricket globally — including the BBL, PSL, The Hundred, SA20, ILT20, MLC, CPL, and BPL.
To break Gayle's record, a batter needs an extraordinary innings combining patience and power:
As of 30 April 2026, the highest individual scores in IPL 2026:
No batter has ever scored 200 in a single IPL or T20 innings. The closest was Gayle's 175* — just 25 runs short. With current batting trends, the 200 mark is theoretically possible but extraordinarily rare. Suryavanshi's 250+ strike rate is the closest thing to a 200-ready engine. To score 200 in 80 balls, a batter needs SR 250 sustained — Gayle's 175 was at SR 265 (so theoretically he could have scored 212 in 80 balls). Most analysts expect a 200 score in IPL 2027 or 2028 — not 2026.
The IPL 2026 individual scoring landscape compared to prior eras:
Average highest individual score per season has risen from approximately 130 (2008-2010) to 145+ (2024-2026). Suryavanshi-era batting suggests this rises further.
The most significant trend in IPL 2026 is the rise of Indian batsmen breaking individual scoring records. Of the top 10 all-time individual scores, three are now held by Indian batters (KL Rahul 152*, Abhishek Sharma 141, KL Rahul 132*). This represents a structural shift — for IPL's first 13 seasons, the highest scoring chart was dominated by foreign players (Gayle, McCullum, de Villiers, de Kock, Warner). The 2024-2026 era has seen Indian batters taking over the top of the rankings. Suryavanshi at fourteen suggests the trend will accelerate.
Based on historical data and current conditions, the most likely venues for record-breaking individual scores in IPL 2026 remaining matches:
For betting on individual score markets:
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