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The Indian Premier League (IPL) has witnessed several memorable hundreds over the years. Chris Gayle’s stunning 175 not out off 66 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) against Pune Warriors in IPL 2013 will be hard to beat in terms of stats and sheer domination, though.
Even a relatively unknown Paul Valthaty smashed an unbeaten 120 off 63 balls, playing for Punjab Kings (PBKS) against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) back in IPL 2011. Of course, it was Brendon McCullum’s blistering 158 not out off 73 balls for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) against RCB that set the ball rolling in the very first IPL match back in 2008.
Coming to IPL 2021, Rajasthan Royals’ Jos Buttler and RCB’s Devdutt Padikkal notched up their maiden IPL hundreds in the first half of the tournament.
A few players could register their maiden IPL ton this year
Ahead of the second half of IPL 2021 in the UAE, here's a look at five players who could register their maiden century in the T20 league this year:
#1 Suryakumar Yadav
Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Suryakumar Yadav has been in fabulous form over the last few months. After what seemed like a never-ending wait, Yadav made a dazzling international debut in a T20I against England earlier this year.
He impressed even during the short tour of Sri Lanka, looking in complete command in the matches he featured in. Having tasted some success at the international level, which was least surprising for those who have followed his progress, Yadav will be raring to go in the second half of IPL 2021.
Although he crossed the half-century mark only once from seven games during the India leg of the tournament, the 30-year-old looked the most fluent of MI batters. Yadav scored his runs at a strike rate of 144.16. However, he will be keen to make up for his lack of big scores when IPL 2021 resumes in the UAE. The kind of form he is in, a three-figure knock might not be far away.
#2 Prithvi Shaw
Delhi Capitals (DC) opener Prithvi Shaw was in dazzling form during the first half of IPL 2021. Shaw smashed 308 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 166.48, scoring three fifties. His best of 82 came off just 41 balls against KKR, a knock that featured six fours in an over from Shivam Mavi.
Earlier, Shaw had a record-breaking Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign, clobbering 827 runs for Mumbai in eight matches at an average of 165.4, scoring four hundreds. With his mind-blowing performances, he became the first player to score over 800 runs in a single edition of the tournament.
The stroke-maker’s performances in the IPL and the Vijay Hazare Trophy this year saw him earn a recall to the national side for the tour of Sri Lanka. Shaw maintained his good touch, although he did not get big scores. The 21-year-old has a highest score of 99 in the IPL. There is a decent chance of him bettering that in the UAE this year.
#3 Ishan Kishan
Like Shaw, Mumbai Indians’ Ishan Kishan also has a highest individual score of 99 in the IPL. He played that amazing knock, which came off 58 balls and featured nine sixes, during the tied game against RCB last season.
Kishan had a brilliant run in IPL 2020, amassing 516 runs at a strike rate of 145.76. His impressive performances saw him make his T20O international debut against England earlier this year. He made an instant impact, cracking a solid half-century.
The talented left-hander struggled for fluency in the first half of IPL 2021, managing only 73 runs in five matches. However, Kishan is now back at the venue where he flourished last season. He has looked in fine touch during the nets. A floater in the batting line-up, the 23-year-old is capable of crossing three figures if he gets his eye in.
#4 Ruturaj Gaikwad
It has been all or nothing for CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad in his short IPL career so far. He began his IPL journey with three low scores last season, and was subsequently dropped. However, Gaikwad came back brilliantly towards the end of the season, notching up three consecutive fifties. His bright performances gave CSK something to cheer about amid their most disappointing IPL campaign in history.
It was a similar story for the 24-year-old in the first half of IPL 2021. He struggled to get going in the first few games. But once he found his rhythm, Gaikwad was a different batter altogether. He smashed 64 off 42 against KKR and 75 off just 44 against SRH.
Gaikwad ended the first half of IPL 2021 with 196 runs in seven games at a strike rate of nearly 130. With the kind of form he is in, the CSK opener will be confident of making an impression in the UAE again. If he gets going, Gaikwad has the strokes to score at a swift pace and even crack a hundred.
#5 Nitish Rana
KKR batter Nitish Rana has been on the IPL scene for a while now, and is a reasonably experienced hand in domestic cricket. He is a versatile batsman as well, who can either open the innings or bat in the middle order. The left-hander had a good start to IPL 2021 with scores of 80 and 57 against SRH and MI, respectively, before his form petered away.
The 27-year-old had a reasonably good IPL 2020 campaign in the UAE last year. He scored 352 runs in 14 games at a strike rate touching 140. Once he gets a start, Rana usually goes on to make a decent score. He had a highest score of 87 last season and 85 not out the year before that.
If Rana applies himself again, he should get big scores in the UAE. The experience of having tasted success at the same venue last season should boost his confidence. He has the strokes in the book to score at a brisk pace. If all goes well, by the time IPL 2021 ends, Rana’s highest score might be in three figures.
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