Fastest T20 Century: Fastest 100s in T20 Cricket Amazing History

In T20 cricket, scoring a century is perhaps one of the toughest batting feats with only 120 deliveries in an entire innings. Scoring 100 runs is great in itself but to do so in less than 40 balls, you need a deadly combination of strength, timing, attacking intent and boundary hitting ability.

Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan holds the men’s world record for Fastest T20 Century, scoring 100 runs off only 27 balls versus Cyprus in June 2024. He moved ahead of the previous record, 30 balls set by Chris Gayle for an innings.

What makes the record even more extraordinary is that Chauhan went on to score 144 not out off only 41 balls, including a staggering total of 18 sixes. It was scored in a T20 International and one of the most sensationally power-hitting innings ever played in that genre.

It’s worth drawing a line between the overall T20 record and the records in individual competitions like T20Is and IPLs. Overall T20 record can be widened with a domestic or franchise T20 match as well while T20I record covers only international matches.

Fastest T20 Century in Cricket History

Sahil Chauhan currently holds the fastest T20 century record after reaching 100 in only 27 deliveries for Estonia against Cyprus on June 17, 2024. Before Chauhan’s record-breaking innings, Chris Gayle had held the overall T20 record for more than 11 years. Gayle scored his century from 30 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors India in IPL 2013.

Fastest T20 Century Record

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Top 10 Fastest T20 Centuries

1. Sahil Chauhan – 27 Balls

Sahil Chauhan produced the fastest T20 century on record for Estonia against Cyprus in 2024. He reached his hundred in just 27 balls and finished unbeaten on 144 from 41 deliveries. His innings contained 18 sixes and six fours, giving him an extraordinary strike rate of 351.21. His 18 sixes also established a men’s T20I record for sixes in a single innings at the time.

2. Urvil Patel – 28 Balls

Gujarat batter Urvil Patel smashed a 28-ball century against Tripura in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in November 2024. He eventually finished unbeaten on 113 from 35 balls, with seven fours and 12 sixes. His innings made him the fastest Indian batter to score a T20 century at that time.

2. Abhishek Sharma – 28 Balls

Abhishek Sharma matched Urvil Patel’s record only days later. Playing for Punjab against Meghalaya in December 2024, he reached his century in 28 balls. He finished with an unbeaten 106 from 29 balls, hitting eight fours and 11 sixes.

4. Muhammad Fahad – 29 Balls

Turkey’s Muhammad Fahad reached his century from 29 balls against Bulgaria in 2025. His performance placed him among the fastest T20 century-makers in men’s cricket.

5. Chris Gayle – 30 Balls

Chris Gayle’s 30-ball century remains one of the most famous fast hundreds in T20 history. Playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors India in the 2013 IPL, Gayle reached three figures from just 30 deliveries and eventually finished with an unbeaten 175 from 66 balls. His innings included 13 fours and 17 sixes. For more than a decade, Gayle’s 30-ball century was regarded as the benchmark for explosive T20 batting.

6. Urvil Patel – 31 Balls

Urvil Patel appears again among the fastest T20 centuries after reaching another hundred in 31 balls against Services in 2025. His ability to produce multiple rapid centuries demonstrates just how aggressive his batting approach has become.

6. Nicholas Pooran – 31 Balls

West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran also produced a 31-ball century for Washington Freedom against MI New York in Major League Cricket in 2026. His inclusion shows that the fastest T20 century record is no longer dominated solely by international cricket or the IPL.

8. Rishabh Pant – 32 Balls

Rishabh Pant previously held the record for the fastest T20 century by an Indian batter. He reached his hundred in 32 balls for Delhi against Himachal Pradesh. Pant’s record stood until Urvil Patel broke it with his 28-ball century in 2024.

8. Vaibhav Suryavanshi – 32 Balls

Vaibhav Suryavanshi also features among the fastest T20 century-makers after reaching three figures in 32 balls for India A against the UAE.

10. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton – 33 Balls

Namibia’s Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton scored a 33-ball century against Nepal in February 2024. His innings briefly set the fastest T20I century record before Sahil Chauhan broke it only a few months later.

Fastest T20 Century by Balls

The number of balls faced is the most important statistic when determining the fastest century. A batter who scores 100 from 30 balls has a faster century than someone who reaches the same milestone from 35 balls, regardless of their final score.

Fastest 20-Ball Century

There is no verified men’s top-level T20 century completed in 20 balls in the records covered here. Reaching 100 in 20 balls would require an extraordinary scoring rate and would almost certainly involve an unprecedented number of boundaries.

Fastest 30-Ball Century

Chris Gayle’s 30-ball century was the overall T20 record for more than 11 years. His 2013 IPL innings became one of the defining performances in T20 cricket. The record was eventually broken when Sahil Chauhan scored his century in 27 balls in 2024.

Fastest 31-Ball Century

The 31-ball mark has been reached by several batters, including Urvil Patel and Nicholas Pooran.

Fastest 32-Ball Century

Rishabh Pant’s 32-ball hundred was historically significant because it was once the fastest T20 century by an Indian batter. Vaibhav Suryavanshi has also reached the century milestone in 32 balls.

Fastest 33-Ball Century

Several major T20 performances have reached the century mark in 33 balls. These include Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Sikandar Raza and Finn Allen in T20 internationals.

Fastest T20 Century in T20 International Cricket

The fastest T20I century in men’s cricket belongs to Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan.Chauhan scored 100 from only 27 balls against Cyprus on June 17, 2024. He eventually made 144 not out from 41 balls and helped Estonia chase down the target.

Fastest T20I Centuries

Sahil Chauhan’s 27-ball century remains comfortably ahead of the field. India’s Abhishek Sharma moved into third place overall among men’s T20I century-makers with his 30-ball hundred against Afghanistan in September 2026.

Fastest T20 Century in IPL

The fastest century in IPL history remains Chris Gayle’s 30-ball hundred for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors India in 2013.

Gayle’s complete innings was even more remarkable than the century itself. He scored 175 not out from 66 balls, with 13 fours and 17 sixes. RCB posted 263/5, which was a record IPL total at the time.

Fastest IPL Centuries

Fastest T20 Century in Major T20 Leagues

Different T20 leagues have produced some spectacular century-makers. The IPL is particularly famous for Gayle’s record-breaking 30-ball hundred, but other competitions have also produced extremely fast centuries.

The exact record for each competition can vary depending on whether historical editions, playoffs and different competition definitions are included, so individual league records should be checked separately rather than treating every T20 competition as one category.

Players With the Most Fast T20 Centuries

Fast T20 centuries are rare, but a few players have repeatedly demonstrated the ability to score at extraordinary speeds. There are many, but the most popular name in that lot is probably Chris Gayle. His 30-ball IPL ton was part of his iconic innings of 175* against Pune Warriors India, adding even more to the tally of skittish T20 franchise hundreds along with many around it. When he scored his 2013 record innings, the IPL’s official records showed he had already piled up 11 T20 hundreds.

Also, Urvil Patel has become a big name in this segment. A 36-ball hundred in the same season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy quickly followed his century off 28 balls against Tripura.

Abhishek Sharma: Another of the modern power hitters who can score at a blitz-age rate. The recent 28-ball domestic T20 century of his in 2024 and subsequent 30-ball T20I hundred for West Indies against Afghanistan barely a month later further assert your belief that he can savage an attack from the very first delivery.

Fastest T20 Century vs Fastest T20I Century

The overall T20 record and T20I record are closely connected but should not be confused.

Fastest T20 Century Records and Stats

Some of the most notable records associated with fast T20 centuries include:

• Fastest overall men’s T20 century: Sahil Chauhan – 27 balls.
• Fastest T20I century: Sahil Chauhan – 27 balls.
• Fastest IPL century: Chris Gayle – 30 balls.
• Fastest Indian T20 century: Urvil Patel and Abhishek Sharma – 28 balls in domestic T20 cricket.
• Fastest T20 century before 2024: Chris Gayle – 30 balls.
• Previous T20 record before Gayle: Andrew Symonds – 34 balls for Kent in 2004.
• Fastest T20I century before Chauhan: Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton – 33 balls.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the record is how quickly it has changed in recent years. Gayle’s 30-ball century stood for more than a decade before Chauhan reduced the benchmark to 27 balls.

Conclusion

Current holder of the record for fastest T20 century in men’s cricket is Sahil Chauhan who 100 off just 27 balls for Estonia against Cyprus in 2024. His record eclipsed the previous 30-ball mark established by Chris Gayle in the 2013 IPL.

Also joining the exclusive club are Urvil Patel and Abhishek Sharma with 28-ball T20I tons, while Muhammad Fahad has a 29-ball hundred. On the other hand, Gayle’s record: 30-ball IPL century is still an IPL benchmark and arguably one of the greatest T20 knocks ever.

It’s worth noting how the aggressive tones of T20 batting have been set by the evolution from Symonds’ 34-ball century to Gayle’s just 30 (and eventually Chauhan’s insane 27 off 14 delfts). Given that today’s batters tend to go after boundaries from the get-go, however, the record for fastest T20 century could become one of the more difficult records to hold going forward.

FAQs

Q1. What is the fastest T20 century?

Sahil Chauhan holds the record for the fastest men’s T20 century. He scored 100 runs from just 27 balls for Estonia against Cyprus in 2024.

Q2. Who scored the fastest 100 in T20 cricket?

Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan scored the fastest 100 in men’s T20 cricket, reaching the milestone in 27 balls.

Q3. How many balls did the fastest T20 century take?

The fastest T20 century took 27 balls. Sahil Chauhan achieved the feat against Cyprus in 2024.

Q4. Who scored the fastest T20I century?

Sahil Chauhan holds the men’s T20I record with a 27-ball century for Estonia against Cyprus.

Q5. Who has the fastest century in IPL?

Chris Gayle has the fastest IPL century. He scored his hundred in 30 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors India in 2013.

Asth Tech