36 Balls.
One Hundred.
One Legend.
| Batsman & Match | Balls |
|---|---|
Chris Gayle vs PWI · 2013 |
30 |
Vaibhav Suryavanshi vs GT · 2025 |
35 |
Vaibhav Suryavanshi TODAY vs SRH · IPL 2026 |
36 |
Heinrich Klaasen vs KKR · 2025 |
37 |
Yusuf Pathan vs MI · 2010 |
37 |
Cricket history has a habit of being made on an otherwise ordinary afternoon — and that is exactly what happened when Vaibhav Suryavanshi walked out to bat for Rajasthan Royals against Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026. What followed was not just a knock; it was a statement to the cricketing world that a new era had arrived.
Suryavanshi blazed his way to a century in just 36 balls, etching his name into the all-time IPL record books as the man who scored the second-fastest hundred in the tournament’s history. Only the legendary Chris Gayle — with his monstrous 30-ball ton against Pune Warriors India back in 2013 — sits ahead of him.
“He did not look like a boy playing a man’s game. He looked like a man playing his own game entirely.”
— SeventhBall Commentary DeskHow Fast, Exactly?
To truly grasp the magnitude of what Suryavanshi achieved, consider this: in a list of the five fastest IPL centuries ever recorded, his name appears twice. Earlier in IPL 2026, he had already scorched to a century in 35 balls against Gujarat Titans — an innings that, at the time, was the second fastest in history. He has now bettered even that mark, moving his own benchmark to 36 balls in the SRH fixture.
Standing Alongside Giants
The record list that Suryavanshi now dominates is not short on celebrated names. Heinrich Klaasen, one of the most destructive T20 batters in the modern era, reached his century in 37 balls against KKR in IPL 2026— only to find himself behind Suryavanshi in the rankings. And Yusuf Pathan, whose 37-ball hurricane against Mumbai Indians in 2010 had stood for over a decade, now shares that fourth-place spot with the South African powerhouse.
Yet all roads lead back to Chris Gayle, whose 30-ball century in 2013 remains the benchmark — a record that has survived over a decade. The gap between Gayle’s record and Suryavanshi’s 36-ball effort is just six deliveries, but closing that gap any further would require something close to supernatural batting.
The Story Behind the Shots
Suryavanshi’s assault against SRH was characterised by remarkable clarity of intent. He never appeared to be in survival mode — every delivery was an opportunity, every fielder a temporary inconvenience. His ability to hit both seamers and spinners with equal disdain, and his extraordinary eye for the short ball, make him one of the most complete stroke-makers to emerge from Indian cricket in recent memory.
“Two fastest centuries in the same IPL season, by the same teenager. The numbers are not just impressive — they are historically unprecedented.”
— SeventhBall AnalyticsWhat This Means for Indian Cricket
With two of the five fastest centuries in IPL history now bearing his name, the conversation has shifted. This is no longer about potential. This is about legacy — and at the age he is, that legacy is just beginning to be written.
The Record Table, In Full
1. Chris Gayle — 30 balls (vs PWI, 2013)
2. Vaibhav Suryavanshi — 36 balls (vs SRH, IPL 2026) ← Today’s record
3. Vaibhav Suryavanshi — 35 balls (vs GT, IPL 2025)
4. Heinrich Klaasen — 37 balls (vs KKR, 2025)
5. Yusuf Pathan — 37 balls (vs MI, 2010)
Numbers, of course, only tell part of the story. The rest? You had to be watching. Stay on SeventhBall for every heartbeat of cricket.