The much-awaited 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is finally around the corner and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will kick-start the campaign with a match against defending champions Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, March 31.
T20 cricket has been a boon for batters, and over the years, many cricketers have etched their names in history by scoring centuries as the tournament provides power hitters with the opportunity to smash the ball across the park with the hopes of either taking their teams to insurmountable totals or helping them chase down such totals.
First centurion of the IPL
The cash-rich league started in 2008, and fans were immediately privy to what the tournament was all about in the first match itself. It was the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Brendon McCullum wreaked havoc on the Bangalore side, scoring an unbeaten inning of 158 runs in 73 balls with 13 sixes and 10 fours.
In doing so, the New Zealand legend became the first centurion in the 15-year history of the tournament. With the 16th year finally here, we look at the list of centurions in the league and who has the most.
1. Chris Gayle: With six centuries in 142 matches and the highest score of 175* runs, Chris Gayle tops the list for the most centuries in this tournament.
2. Virat Kohli: The RCB legend is second after Chris Gayle, with six centuries in 223 matches.
3. Jos Buttler: The Rajasthan Royals (RR) batter is third with five tons in just 82 matches.
4. David Warner: The Australian power-hitter is fourth after smashing four centuries in 162 IPL matches. All the centuries have come for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
5. KL Rahul: In the 109 matches that he has played in the league, he has hit four centuries.
6. Shane Watson: The former Australian also has four centuries in his name, in 145 matches.
7. AB de Villiers: He played 184 matches in the IPL and smashed three centuries.
8. Sanju Samson: The current Rajasthan Royals have also scored three centuries in 138 IPL matches.
9. Shikhar Dhawan: New Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan has so far scored two centuries in 206 matches.
10. Ajinkya Rahane: The IPL journeyman is 10th, with two tons in 158 matches.
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