Highest Individual Score in IPL History (Top 5 List)
What is the highest individual score in IPL history — and has anyone come close to breaking it in 13 seasons?
Has a new generation of power hitters finally made Chris Gayle’s legendary 175* look vulnerable?
In this article, we break down the five highest individual scores ever recorded in IPL history — full match details, the story behind each innings, and a clear assessment of whether the record can fall in IPL 2026 as teams prepare for the season, which is also explored in the IPL 2026 preview of all teams with squads and captains.
You will see the complete ranked list, match context for every innings, which players nearly made the cut, and who is most likely to threaten the record this season.
What Is the Highest Individual Score in IPL History?
The highest individual score in IPL history is Chris Gayle’s 175*, scored for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors on April 23, 2013. It is also the highest individual score in the entire history of T20 cricket — a record that has stood for over a decade and remains one of the most extraordinary batting performances ever seen in the format
Top 5 Highest Individual Scores in IPL History
| Rank | Player | Score | Balls | SR | 4s | 6s | Team | Opposition | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Gayle | 175* | 66 | 265.15 | 13 | 17 | RCB | Pune Warriors | Chinnaswamy, Bengaluru | 2013 |
| 2 | Brendon McCullum | 158* | 73 | 216.43 | 10 | 13 | KKR | RCB | Chinnaswamy, Bengaluru | 2008 |
| 3 | Abhishek Sharma | 141 | 55 | 256.36 | 14 | 10 | SRH | Punjab Kings | Hyderabad | 2025 |
| 4 | Quinton de Kock | 140 | 70 | 200.00 | 10 | 10 | LSG | KKR | Lucknow | 2022 |
| 5 | AB de Villiers | 133* | 59 | 225.42 | 19 | 4 | RCB | Mumbai Indians | Wankhede, Mumbai | 2015 |
#1 Chris Gayle, 175* | RCB vs Pune Warriors, 2013
The highest individual score in IPL history is also the highest score in all of T20 cricket.
Gayle walked in at Chinnaswamy on April 23, 2013 and dismantled the Pune Warriors bowling attack from the first over to the last. He reached his century in just 30 balls and finished with 175 off 66 balls, smashing 17 sixes — a performance that still stands among the biggest hitting displays by players with the most sixes in IPL history. His runs alone accounted for 66% of RCB’s total of 263, which was itself a T20 world record at the time. Pune were bowled out for 133 and RCB won by 130 runs.
Why it stands alone: No batter in 13 seasons has come within 17 runs of it. That gap tells you everything about how far beyond ordinary greatness this innings truly was.
#2 Brendon McCullum, 158* | KKR vs RCB, 2008
The innings that launched the IPL — and set the standard for everything that followed.
Brendon McCullum’s 158* on the very first night of the IPL’s history, April 18, 2008, was not just a great innings. It was a statement of intent that told the entire cricketing world exactly what kind of tournament the IPL was going to be. Opening the batting for Kolkata Knight Riders against RCB at Chinnaswamy, McCullum blasted 158* off 73 balls — 13 sixes and 10 fours — in a knock that left commentators, opponents, and fans struggling to find the right words.
KKR posted 222/3 and won by 140 runs. For five years, this was the highest individual score in IPL history, until Gayle surpassed it on the same ground in 2013.
Why it belongs at #2: McCullum did not just score runs on the IPL’s opening night — he defined the tournament’s DNA. Every explosive IPL innings that followed owes something to what he did in Bengaluru that evening.
#3 Abhishek Sharma, 141 | SRH vs Punjab Kings, 2025
The closest any batter has come to Gayle’s record in over a decade.
Abhishek Sharma’s 141 off 55 balls in IPL 2025 is the highest individual score by an Indian batter in IPL history, surpassing KL Rahul’s long-standing 132*. What makes this innings even more remarkable is the context — SRH were chasing 246, and Abhishek turned what looked like an impossible target into a personal assault. He maintained a strike rate of 256 throughout, hitting 14 fours and 10 sixes, and SRH won the match.
Why it matters: He came within 17 runs of McCullum’s record and within 34 of Gayle’s all-time mark. If anyone breaks the record in IPL 2026, Abhishek Sharma is the name to watch first.
#4 Quinton de Kock, 140 | LSG vs KKR, 2022
The defining innings of Lucknow Super Giants’ debut IPL season.
De Kock’s 140 off 70 balls against KKR at Lucknow is the fourth highest individual score in IPL history. Unlike Gayle’s and McCullum’s power-first approaches, de Kock’s innings was built on timing and control — 10 fours and 10 sixes across 70 balls at a perfect 200 strike rate. He read the KKR bowling intelligently, placing the ball into gaps as often as clearing the rope, and LSG won comfortably.
Why it stands out: It remains the highest score ever made at the Ekana Stadium and the highest individual innings in LSG’s history — a landmark knock for a brand new franchise finding its identity.
#5 AB de Villiers, 133* | RCB vs Mumbai Indians, 2015
Possibly the most technically beautiful innings on this entire list.
De Villiers scored 133* off 59 balls at the Wankhede on May 10, 2015 — but the detail that sets this apart is that 19 of his 23 boundaries were fours, not sixes. At a 225 strike rate, most of his runs came through placement and precision rather than aerial power. The Wankhede crowd, cheering for Mumbai, ended up chanting de Villiers’ name as he pulled their home team apart from every angle imaginable.
The record sitting alongside it: De Villiers and Kohli shared an unbroken partnership of 215* — still the highest partnership in IPL history. RCB posted 235/1 and won by 39 runs.
Players Who Nearly Made the List
These batters produced extraordinary innings that just missed the all-time top five:
| Player | Score | Balls | Team | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KL Rahul | 132* | 69 | PBKS | 2020 |
| Murali Vijay | 127 | 56 | CSK | 2010 |
| Rishabh Pant | 128* | 63 | DC | 2018 |
| David Warner | 126 | 59 | SRH | 2017 |
| Sanju Samson | 119 | 63 | RR | 2021 |
Can Gayle's Record Be Broken in IPL 2026?
Gayle’s 175* is beatable — but only under a very specific set of conditions:
A small ground with short boundaries such as Chinnaswamy or Wankhede
A flat, true pitch with no swing or lateral movement
The batter surviving the powerplay without a dangerous close call
An opposition bowling attack that loses its shape early under pressure
The batters most capable of threatening the record in IPL 2026:
Abhishek Sharma — already hit 141, has the strike rate and the proven big-innings mentality
Phil Salt — one of T20 cricket’s most explosive powerplay openers
Nicholas Pooran — his ceiling on a good day is as high as anyone in the format
Tim David — the most destructive finisher in the IPL when given an extended stay
The honest verdict: Gayle’s record will fall eventually. The evolution of T20 batting — better fitness, more aggressive strategies, improved power-hitting technique — makes it a matter of when, not if. Whether IPL 2026 is that season is the great unanswerable question heading into March 28.
How IPL Batting Records Have Evolved
The highest individual score in each era tells a clear story about the tournament’s batting evolution:
2008 — McCullum 158*: Power hitting was a novelty; this innings shocked the world on the IPL’s opening night
2013 — Gayle 175*: The ceiling was reset so dramatically it has taken 13 years to approach
2020 — KL Rahul 132*: Technique and timing proved as effective as raw power in the UAE bubble season
2025 — Abhishek Sharma 141: The next generation arrived, chasing totals at strike rates that would have seemed impossible a decade ago
The trend is clear. Each generation of IPL batters is better equipped to produce extreme scores than the last. The conditions, technology, and training methods all favour record-breaking innings more in 2026 than at any point in the tournament’s history.
Conclusion
Resolution: Chris Gayle’s 175* remains the highest individual score in IPL history — a record that has outlasted careers, franchise reshuffles, and 13 seasons of the most explosive batting competition in world cricket.
Reminder: Even in a tournament defined by big hitting, only two batters have ever crossed 140 in the IPL’s entire history. That fact alone tells you how rare and special the top of this list truly is.
Relevant next step: With IPL 2026 starting March 28 according to the IPL 2026 schedule with fixtures and venues, Abhishek Sharma, Phil Salt, and Nicholas Pooran are the players most likely to put that record under pressure. Follow AllCric for live scores, batting record tracking, and match analysis throughout every game of the season.
Reintroduce: The highest individual score in IPL history is 175*. It was set on an April evening in Bengaluru in 2013. AllCric will be watching every ball of IPL 2026 to see if it finally falls.
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❓FAQs
Chris Gayle’s 175* off 66 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013. It is also the highest individual score in all of T20 cricket history.
Abhishek Sharma, who scored 141 off 55 balls for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Punjab Kings in IPL 2025.
Brendon McCullum, who hit 158* off 73 balls for Kolkata Knight Riders against RCB on the very first night of the IPL on April 18, 2008.
17 sixes and 13 fours — a total of 154 runs from boundaries alone in his 175* innings.
AB de Villiers scored 59* in the 2016 IPL final. The highest individual score in a knockout match is widely considered to be Suresh Raina’s 87* in the 2010 IPL final.
Yes. Virat Kohli became the first batter to score 9,000 runs in IPL history, achieving the milestone during IPL 2024.
Multiple batters have scored 700+ runs in an IPL season. The notable ones:
- Virat Kohli – 973 runs (2016), 741 runs (2023), 708 runs (2024)
- Chris Gayle – 733 runs (2012), 708 runs (2013)
Kohli is the first Indian batter to score 700+ runs in two IPL seasons, while Chris Gayle was the first overall to do it twice.