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The Indian Premier League is the fastest and most popular domestic T20 competition in the world. But some batters have been more patient in their approach and here are the slowest IPL centuries of all time.
Who Scored the Slowest Century in IPL History?
The man credited with scoring the slowest ton in the history of the IPL is Manish Pandey. His hundred came off 67 in the 2009 season when he was playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Deccan Chargers.
His score came in an RCB total of 170 and he would eventually make 114 in 73 deliveries.
Slowest Centuries in IPL
Manish Pandey – 67 balls
As we’ve already seen, Manish Pandey is the batter with this dubious honour of hitting the slowest IPL hundred and his century came from 67 balls. While the ton has earned the player something of an unwanted record, this was a very valuable innings in the context of the game.
The pitch offered great assistance to the bowlers and everyone except for Pandey struggled on the surface. He helped his RCB side to 170 and effectively won them the game. Deccan Chargers came close but eventually went down by 12 runs.
Sachin Tendulkar – 66 balls
Three players sit in joint second place on this list and the first of them is the Little Master, Sachin Tendulkar himself. This was to be his only hundred in the competition and it came while playing for Mumbai Indians against Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011.
This was a very stylish innings with 12 fours and three sixes but there were a number of dot balls. Tendulkar completed his century on the final ball of Mumbai’s innings but their total of 182/2 wasn’t enough. Kochi chased down the target with one over to spare.
David Warner – 66 balls
The normally-explosive David Warner has also scored an IPL century in 66 balls. The Australian left hander appears in the list of slowest 50s and here he is again with a patient ton.
Warner’s effort came in 2010 when he was playing for the Delhi Daredevils against the Kolkata Knight Riders. He would finish his knock with 107 runs from 69 balls and, while it was a slow contribution, it helped his team win the game.
Jos Buttler – 66 balls
England’s Jos Buttler was the most destructive batter in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League. At one point, he threatened to become the first player to reach 1000 runs in a season and he scored no fewer than four centuries in the tournament.
One of those tons, for Rajasthan against Mumbai, was also one of the slowest in the history of the IPL. It took Buttler 66 balls to reach his hundred and this was in stark contrast to the way he usually batted. The Royals still won the game as Mumbai Indians fell short by 23 runs.
Kevin Pietersen – 64 balls
This is another one of those slow centuries that needs to be put into context. Kevin Pietersen’s Delhi Daredevils team were set 158 to win by Deccan Chargers in the IPL of 2012. KP was batting at number three for Delhi and he came to the wicket after the opening partnership was broken with just two runs scored.
The Daredevils then lost Virender Sehwag and Mahela Jayawardene with just 23 runs on the board. Pietersen’s ton from 64 balls was, therefore, vital as wickets tumbled around him. He eventually finished with 103 as DD won by five wickets.
KL Rahul – 63 balls
In truth, none of these centuries seem all that slow. After all, the strike rates are approaching 200 so we must still applaud the players. Nevertheless, they are technically the slowest IPL hundreds and it may be a surprise to see KL Rahul here.
Rahul is an explosive opening batter but this was one of his slower efforts. Playing for Punjab Kings against Mumbai Indians in 2019, he brought up a century from 63 balls as his team reached 197/4. It wasn’t enough as Mumbai chased down their target from the very last ball.
Virat Kohli – 63 balls
Virat Kohli enjoyed a brilliant season in 2016, scoring 973 and threatening to be the first batter to reach 1,000 runs in an IPL year. This was one of four centuries in that campaign but it was also the slowest and it led to a defeat.
Kohli’s undefeated 100 from 63 balls helped his Royal Challengers Bangalore team reach 180/2 at the end of their 20 overs. In reply, Gujarat made 182/4 with three balls to spare with Dinesh Karthik reaching a half century.
Ambati Rayudu – 62 balls
He could be a destructive batter in the middle overs and a century from 62 balls isn’t such a bad effort. However, it did also earn Chennai’s Ambati Rayudu a place on the list of slowest IPL tons.
This knock came in 2018 as the Super Kings took on the Sunrisers Hyderabad. It came in a winning cause as CSK chased down a target of 180 with a whole over to spare. Rayudu and Shane Watson put on 134 for the first wicket and he finished on exactly 100 from 62 balls.
KL Rahul – 62 balls
KL Rahul is the only player with two entries on the Top Ten list and his second century came in 62 balls. Playing for Punjab Kings against his old team Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2020, Rahul would accelerate at the end, making a brilliant 132 from 69 balls.
His effort helped Punjab reach 206/3 and that was more than enough for RCB who capitulated for 109.
Ben Stokes – 61 balls
The devastating hitter that is Ben Stokes has two IPL hundreds to date and this was the marginally slower of the two. It features the two temporary franchises with Stokes playing for Rising Pune Supergiant against Gujarat Lions in 2017.
Stokes’ 100 came from 61 balls and he made an undefeated 103 from 63 as Pune chased down a target of 162 with just one ball to spare.
Lendl Simmons – 61 balls
All of the batters on this list were attacking players and Lendl Simmons is no exception. Simmons had some good spells while playing for Mumbai Indians and, in this game against Kings XI Punjab in 2014, he made exactly 100 runs from 61 balls.
It was another effort in a winning cause as Mumbai chased down their target of 157 with a full over to spare. It may be on the list of slowest centuries but it was perfectly paced as Simmons finished unbeaten on exactly 100 runs.
