Top 3 IPL hundreds by a batter who wasn't fully fit ft. Jos Buttler

Centuries are always special for any cricketer, but what makes the occasion even more special is when the batters achieve the feat in a winning cause. While several batters have reached the three-figure mark, not many have pulled it off while being injured.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has witnessed several players notch up centuries to change the face of the game, and while some rejoiced by contributing to their team’s victory, some were left disappointed seeing their efforts going in vain.

Over the years, there have been several batters to have hit tons at the cash-rich event, but not many have done it while recovering or suffering from an injury. Pulling off such a stunt only shows their dedication to their franchise and the sport, in general.

On that note, here’s a look at three such players who scored a century in the IPL while not being fully fit to play.

---

#3 Venkatesh Iyer (KKR) vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2023

Kolkata Knight Riders’ Venkatesh Iyer notched up his maiden IPL century against five-time champions Mumbai Indians at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. It was not only his first ton at the cash-rich event but he also became the second KKR batter to get to the three-figure mark after Brendon McCullum.

Venkatesh Iyer suffered an injury to his knee on just the ninth ball that he faced in the game when he attempted to scoop the ball from Cameron Green. The KKR batter looked in immense pain as the team physio made his way to the middle.

The Madhya Pradesh batter took the onus of scoring runs when other members of the team failed to keep up with the bat. He was dismissed for a 51-ball 104 by Riley Meredith and his knock went in vain, eventually, as the hosts chased down the 186-run target easily, with 14 balls to spare.

---

#2 Virat Kohli (RCB) vs KXIP, IPL 2016

This was one of the finest centuries that came off Virat Kohli’s willow. Taking on the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), home side Royal Challengers Bangalore (now Bengaluru) put up a dominant performance, courtesy of their then-skipper Kohli.

Kohli walked out to open the innings alongside Chris Gayle with nine stitches in his left hand after suffering a split webbing. But nothing could stop him from getting a win for the team that had trusted him when nobody else did.

In the rain-derailed 15-over innings, Kohli ended up reaching the three-digit mark in 47 deliveries and walked back scoring 113 off just 50 deliveries. Courtesy of his ton and Gayle’s 73, RCB bagged a memorable 82-run victory (DLS method).

Just 48 hours after suffering an injury to his hand, while playing against KKR, Kohli was back on the field and achieved a momentous feat. His iconic celebration, where he pointed toward the injury after hitting the century, is still remembered by many.

---

#1 Jos Buttler (RR) vs KKR, IPL 2024

One of the recent stories of a player hitting a century at the IPL amid injury involved Jos Buttler. The Rajasthan Royals opener, while batting against KKR, hit his second century of the IPL 2024 to help his side chase down a daunting target on the last delivery of the match.

Buttler missed out on RR’s game against Punjab Kings (PBKS) after being deemed not fully fit for the game. He was then rested in the first innings against KKR and only made his way into the field to bat in the second as an impact player.

While it looked like a tough task for the Englishman, he rose to the occasion in the best way possible. Even though he kept losing partners on the other end, Buttler remained calm and composed to eventually get to a magnificent century.

With nine required to win off the final over and Buttler being two runs shy of a century, he hit Varun Chakravarthy for a maximum on the first ball of the 20th over to bring down the equation drastically. After three dot balls, an exhausted Buttler ran a couple of runs while limping to level the score.

With one run needed off the last ball, Buttler chipped the ball into the leg side and easily ran a single, thereby pulling off the biggest run chase in the 17 years of IPL history.