IPL: 3 Indian wicket-keepers who have scored a century in tournament history 

With the advent of T20 cricket, the role of a wicket-keeper batsman has evolved a lot. Earlier, the teams sought to have a player in their team who could keep the wickets and bat a little if required. However, now, the teams demand the wicket-keepers to be decent batsmen too.

On some occasions, the team management prefer to have a part-time wicket-keeper in the team if it allows them to have a better team balance. The same trend has been witnessed in the IPL as the franchises look to sign batsmen who can keep instead of wicket-keepers who can bat. While not all wicket-keepers belong to the same category, there are quite a few who have made a name for themselves in the batting department.

Here's a look at the three Indian wicket-keepers who have scored a century in IPL history.

---

#3 KL Rahul - 100* (64) vs Mumbai Indians

KL Rahul registered a century against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2019

The recent-most entry on this list is of the stylish opening batsman from Karnataka, KL Rahul. Opening the innings for Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2019, Rahul touched the three-figure milestone in 64 deliveries. Kieron Pollard captained the Mumbai Indians in that match and he invited the visitors to bat first at the Wankhede Stadium.

Rahul and Chris Gayle wreaked havoc in the opening overs as they stitched a 116-run opening partnership. The Caribbean opener lost his wicket but Rahul continued his onslaught against the Mumbai Indians. He remained not out till the end, scoring 100 runs off 64 deliveries. He slammed six fours and six sixes to power Punjab to 197/4 in 20 overs. Unfortunately, Pollard's heroics denied Punjab a win in that match.

---

#2 Wriddhiman Saha - 115* (55) vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Wriddhiman Saha is the only Indian player to slam a century in an IPL final

The only Indian wicket-keeper batsman to have scored a century in an IPL final is India's red-ball specialist behind the stumps, Wriddhiman Saha. However, in the 2014 IPL final, Saha showcased that he can be effective in limited overs cricket as well.

Playing their maiden IPL final, Kings XI Punjab lost the toss and were invited to bat first by the Kolkata Knight Riders. They lost two quick wickets which united Saha with Manan Vohra in the middle. The two upcoming stars stabilized the innings before switching gears. While Vohra scored 67 off 52 deliveries, Saha remained unbeaten on 115 runs, a knock in which he smashed 10 fours and eight sixes. Although Punjab came very close to winning the IPL title, Manish Pandey's special innings denied them a win.

---

#1 Rishabh Pant - 128* (63) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

Another hundred in a losing cause

Interestingly, all the centuries registered by Indian wicket-keepers in the IPL have gone down in a losing cause. The man who holds the record for the highest individual score by an Indian player in IPL, Rishabh Pant, recorded his maiden IPL century against Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2017. Just like Wriddhiman Saha's situation, Pant came out to bat when the team's score was 21-2.

The left-handed batsman made his intentions clear right from the start as he took little time to get settled in the middle. In an innings where 187 runs were scored, Pant aggregated 128 off them off just 63 deliveries. He whacked 15 fours and seven sixes and scored 68.45% of the team's runs.

However, a brilliant partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson for SRH undid all the good work done by him.