Cricket

Highest Individual Score in IPL: Chris Gayle’s Monster 175* Still Rules After 12 Years

Last Updated: January 16, 2026, 11:04 AM EST

Chris Gayle smashed 175 runs without getting out back in 2013. That’s still the biggest individual score anyone has managed in IPL history.

The West Indian legend was absolutely unstoppable that day. He hit 17 sixes and 13 fours against Pune Warriors. The bowlers had no clue where to bowl to him.

But Gayle isn’t the only one who’s gone crazy with the bat. Players like Brendon McCullum, Abhishek Sharma, and AB de Villiers have also played some unbelievable innings.

Here’s every time someone scored 125+ runs in a single IPL match.

Top 10 Highest Individual IPL Scores (2008-2025)

Player	Runs	Balls	4s	6s	Strike Rate	Team	Year
Chris Gayle	175*	66	13	17	265.15	RCB	2013
Brendon McCullum	158*	73	10	13	216.44	KKR	2008
Abhishek Sharma	141	55	14	10	256.36	SRH	2025
Quinton de Kock	140*	70	10	10	200.00	LSG	2022
AB de Villiers	133*	59	19	4	225.42	RCB	2015
KL Rahul	132*	69	14	7	191.30	PBKS	2020
AB de Villiers	129*	52	10	12	248.08	RCB	2016
Shubman Gill	129	60	7	10	215.00	GT	2023
Chris Gayle	128*	62	7	13	206.45	RCB	2012
Rishabh Pant	128*	63	15	7	203.17	DD	2018

What Makes These Scores So Special

These aren’t just big numbers. When someone scores 125+ runs, crazy things happen:

Teams usually win: 8 out of 10 times, the team with the big score won the match
Crowds go mental: These innings create the loudest noise you’ll ever hear in a stadium
Bowlers look helpless: Even international bowlers get smashed around like club cricketers

Most players struggle to score 50 in T20 cricket. These guys doubled that and kept going.

1. Chris Gayle 175* – The Innings That Broke Cricket (2013)

Match: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Pune Warriors
When: April 23, 2013, Bangalore
Team Score: 263/5 in 20 overs
Result: RCB won by 130 runs

This is the innings every cricket fan talks about. Gayle was seeing the ball like a football.

What happened:

Hit his first six off the third ball he faced
Reached 50 in just 17 balls
Got his hundred in only 30 balls (fastest in IPL history)
Hit 17 sixes (still a record)
Never looked like getting out

The Pune Warriors bowlers tried everything. Yorkers, bouncers, slower balls. Nothing worked. Gayle just kept hitting sixes.

Crowd reaction: The Bangalore crowd was so loud you couldn’t hear the commentators. People were jumping, screaming, taking videos. Even the opposition players were clapping.

Why it matters: This innings changed T20 cricket. Teams realized they could score 250+ runs if they really went for it.

2. Brendon McCullum 158* – The IPL’s First Superstar Performance (2008)

Match: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
When: April 18, 2008, Bangalore (IPL’s very first match!)
Team Score: 222/3 in 20 overs
Result: KKR won by 140 runs

McCullum picked the perfect time to go crazy. The very first match of the very first IPL season.

What happened:

Started hitting sixes from over number 1
55,000 people in the stadium couldn’t believe what they were seeing
Hit 13 sixes when most players hit 2-3 per match
Made T20 cricket look easy

Commentary gold: “This is just unbelievable hitting!” shouted the commentators every over.

Why it matters: This innings made the IPL famous worldwide. People who’d never watched T20 cricket suddenly wanted to see more.

3. Abhishek Sharma 141 – The New Indian Hero (2025)

Match: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings
When: April 12, 2025, Hyderabad
Team Score: 246/3 (chasing 246!)
Result: SRH won by 7 wickets

Sharma became the first Indian to score 140+ in the IPL. And he did it while chasing a huge target.

What happened:

SRH needed 246 to win (almost impossible)
Sharma reached 100 in just 40 balls
Hit sixes to all parts of the ground
Made the chase look easy with Travis Head

Special moment: After reaching his hundred, he showed a sign to the crowd saying “This one is for Orange Army” (SRH fans).

Why it matters: Finally, an Indian batsman joined the 140+ club. Sharma proved Indian players can hit as big as anyone.

4. Quinton de Kock 140* – Perfect Timing and Placement (2022)

Match: Lucknow Super Giants vs Kolkata Knight Riders
When: May 18, 2022, Mumbai
Team Score: 176/7 in 20 overs
Result: LSG won by 75 runs

De Kock played the smartest innings on this list. No wild swinging, just perfect shots.

What happened:

Found gaps even when fielders were in the right positions
Hit 10 fours and 10 sixes (perfect balance)
Made quality bowlers like Sunil Narine look ordinary
Never took unnecessary risks

Why it matters: Showed you don’t need to slog every ball. Smart hitting works too.

5. AB de Villiers 133* – The Shot-Making Genius (2015)

Match: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Mumbai Indians
When: May 10, 2015, Mumbai
Team Score: 235/1 in 20 overs
Result: RCB won by 39 runs

AB de Villiers hit shots that shouldn’t be possible in cricket.

What happened:

Hit 19 fours (more than most players hit in 5 matches)
Invented new shots during the innings
Made Mumbai’s best bowlers look like beginners
Scored all around the ground

Shot of the match: A six over backward point that had commentators speechless.

Why it matters: Showed that innovation beats power sometimes. AB didn’t just hit hard, he hit smart.

6. KL Rahul 132* – The Perfect T20 Innings (2020)

Match: Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
When: September 24, 2020, Dubai
Team Score: 206/3 in 20 overs
Result: PBKS won by 97 runs

Rahul played like a T20 textbook. Started slow, finished fast.

What happened:

Took his time early (30 off first 30 balls)
Exploded in the final 10 overs (102 off 39 balls)
Hit 14 fours and 7 sixes
Never gave his wicket away

Why it matters: Proved you can pace an innings perfectly and still score huge.

7. AB de Villiers 129* – Another Masterclass (2016)

Match: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Lions
When: May 14, 2016, Bangalore
Team Score: 248/3 in 20 overs
Result: RCB won by 144 runs

AB was in one of his “impossible shots” moods again.

What happened:

Hit 12 sixes in 52 balls
Every shot looked effortless
Gujarat’s bowlers had no answers
Bangalore crowd loved every second

Why it matters: AB became the only player with two 125+ scores in this top 10 list.

8. Shubman Gill 129 – Youth Power (2023)

Match: Gujarat Titans vs Mumbai Indians
When: May 26, 2023, Ahmedabad
Team Score: 207/6 in 20 overs
Result: GT won by 55 runs

Gill showed that young Indian players can also go big.

What happened:

Combined power hitting with proper cricket shots
Hit 7 fours and 10 sixes perfectly
Made it look easy against MI’s bowling attack
Proved he’s ready for the big stage

Why it matters: Another young Indian joining the elite club.

9. Chris Gayle 128* – The Warm-Up Act (2012)

Match: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Delhi Daredevils
When: May 17, 2012, Delhi
Team Score: 215/1 in 20 overs
Result: RCB won by 21 runs

This was Gayle’s practice run for his 175*. Still incredible.

What happened:

Hit 13 sixes in 62 balls
Made Delhi’s bowlers look scared
Crowd was already going crazy for him
Set up his bigger record the next year

Why it matters: Showed Gayle’s 175* wasn’t a fluke. He could do it regularly.

10. Rishabh Pant 128* – Left-Handed Lightning (2018)

Match: Delhi Daredevils vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
When: May 10, 2018, Delhi
Team Score: 187/5 in 20 overs
Result: DD won by 9 runs

Pant announced himself to IPL fans with this innings.

What happened:

Hit 15 fours (most by any wicket-keeper in IPL)
Combined keeping and batting perfectly
Showed his range of shots
Almost single-handedly won the match

Why it matters: First wicket-keeper to score 125+ in IPL history.

Quick Facts About These Monster Innings

Most sixes in one innings: Chris Gayle’s 17 sixes (2013)
Fastest century: Chris Gayle – 30 balls (2013)
Most boundaries: AB de Villiers – 19 fours (2015)
Teams that score 125+ individually: Win 80% of their matches
Best strike rate: Chris Gayle – 265.15 (2013)
Only players with two entries: AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle

Why Don’t We See 180+ Scores?

You might wonder why no one has broken Gayle’s 175*. Here’s why it’s so hard:

Bowlers got smarter: They learned from these beatings
Better fielding: Players save more boundaries now
Pressure builds: Once you get close to 150, everyone expects you to break the record
Bowling got better: Death bowling specialists improved a lot

But someone will eventually get 180+. Players are getting stronger and bats are getting better.

FAQs

Has anyone come close to breaking Gayle’s 175?*

The nearest is McCullum’s 158*. That’s still 17 runs away.

Which team has the most players in this top 10?

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has 4 entries – both Gayle innings and both AB de Villiers scores.

What’s the highest score by an Indian player?

Abhishek Sharma’s 141 in 2025. Before him, KL Rahul held the record with 132*.

Do these big scores usually win matches?

Yes! 8 out of 10 times, the team with the big individual score won the match.

How rare are 125+ scores in T20 cricket?

Super rare. It happens maybe once every 2-3 IPL seasons. That’s why these innings are so special.

Which innings was the most exciting to watch?

Cricket fans still argue about this. Many say Gayle’s 175* because of the records. Others prefer McCullum’s 158* because it was the first IPL match ever.

Gayle’s Record Still Stands Strong

Chris Gayle’s 175* happened 12 years ago. Players have gotten stronger, bats have improved, and boundaries have gotten shorter. But no one has even come close to 175*.

That tells you how special that innings was. Gayle was unstoppable that day in Bangalore. He hit the ball so cleanly that it looked easy.

Will someone break it? Maybe. Players like Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head are certainly capable. But until then, the Universe Boss still rules the IPL record books.

These 10 innings show what makes cricket so exciting. On any given day, one player can take the game away from the opposition. They can make 50,000 people jump out of their seats. And they can create memories that last forever.