Highest Individual Score in IPL History (Records & Stats)

Last Updated:

April, 2026

Chris Gayle scored 175 not out off 66 balls for RCB (Royal Challengers Bangalore)against Pune Warriors on April 23, 2013, still the highest individual score in IPL history. He hit 13 fours and 17 sixes. RCB posted 263 for 5. The match was over before the opposition batted.

This is a score of 13 years old. IPL has grown. Vowels have become flatter. Bats have grown fatter. Boundaries have stayed short. And no one ever went above 160.

The third on this list is 23-year-old Amritsar student Abhishek Sharma, who scored 141 in 2025 – the closest anyone has come to challenging the leaders. The gap at the top of the list of the highest individual scores in IPL history says more than the numbers themselves.

Top 10 Bowlers - Most Wickets in IPL History

No.	Batter	Score	Balls	4s	6s	SR	Team vs Opposition	Year
1	Chris Gayle	175*	66	13	17	265.15	RCB vs Pune Warriors	2013
2	Brendon McCullum	158*	73	10	13	216.43	KKR vs RCB	2008
3	Abhishek Sharma	141	55	14	10	256.36	SRH vs Punjab Kings	2025
4	Quinton de Kock	140*	70	10	10	200	LSG vs KKR	2022
5	AB de Villiers	133*	59	19	4	225.42	RCB vs MI	2015
6	KL Rahul	132*	69	14	7	191.3	PBKS vs RCB	2020
7	AB de Villiers	129*	52	10	12	248.07	RCB vs Gujarat Lions	2016
8	Shubman Gill	129	60	7	10	215	GT vs MI	2023
9	Chris Gayle	128*	62	7	13	206.45	RCB vs Delhi DD	2012
10	Rishabh Pant	128*	63	15	7	203.17	Delhi DD vs SRH	2018

4 Things This Table Does Not Tell You

Gayle is also ranked twice in the top 10. He was the record holder before breaking it.

The highest IPL score till then was 128 in 2012. Less than a year later, he did so with the 175, the highest individual score in IPL history. None of the other batters in this list recorded the record and subsequently broke it. Gayle is the only individual in the history of IPL who has twice hit the highest individual score.

McCullum’s 158 came in the very first IPL match ever played. Nobody knew what the IPL was yet.

April 18, 2008. The first ball ever to be bowled in IPL history. No one had a sense of what to expect. McCullum strode to the ground and struck 158 out of 73 balls. KKR carried the day by 140 runs to win. That was more than a record-breaking inning. It informed the cricket world of what T20 franchise cricket was to be.

AB de Villiers is mentioned twice. His two innings were scored in completely different situations.

The 133 of 2015 was during a target-setting. The 129 in 2016 came in a chase. Same batter. Same franchise. There are two game states. They both finished with RCB wins. de Villiers scored his big innings in contrary match situations compared to any other of the top 10 batters.

Abhishek Sharma’s 141 in 2025 came in a chase of 245. All the other scores of over 140 were during the first batting.

Batting first eliminates the stress of a necessary run rate. You construct your innings at your own risk. Abhishek entered with 245 and made 141 out of 55 balls with a rate of 256. It has the highest strike rate of any of the top 10 innings. And it was subjected to the greatest pressure.

Why Nobody Has Gone Past 160 in 13 Years

Gayle’s 175, the highest individual score in IPL history, needed three things to happen simultaneously. First, a bowling attack with no genuine plan against left-hand power. Pune Warriors that season had no answer. Second, a pitch at Chinnaswamy that sat up perfectly for hitting. Third, a batter who had done this before and had no fear of getting out.

Since 2013, bowling attacks have become smarter. Death bowling specialists exist at every franchise. Analytics teams now plan specifically for left-hand power hitters in T20 cricket. The conditions that allowed 175 to happen are harder to find.

The only feasible indication that somebody could possibly endanger the record of Gayle is the 141 of Abhishek Sharma in 2025. He is a left-handed player who plays on a batting-heavy SRH team, and had a 256 strike rate in that game. Having a profile to pass 160, it will be him if any of the current IPL have it.

Highest Scores by Indians in IPL History

No.	Batter	Score	Balls	Year	Match
1	Abhishek Sharma	141	55	2025	SRH vs Punjab Kings
2	KL Rahul	132*	69	2020	PBKS vs RCB
3	Rishabh Pant	128*	63	2018	Delhi DD vs SRH
4	Murali Vijay	127	56	2010	CSK vs Rajasthan
5	Shubman Gill	129	60	2023	GT vs MI

This was overtaken in 2025 by 141 by Abhishek Sharma who is now the Indian record holder in Indian IPL history with the highest individual score in IPL history among Indian batters, taking the long-standing 132 of KL Rahul. The new record was the more difficult of the two, and was received in pursuit.

Will Gayle's 175 Ever Be Beaten?

The level-headed evaluation: it may not happen, but it is probable before the year 2030.

The introduction of the IPL impact player rule in 2023 has transformed the game. Teams are now submitting batters at the top of the order who are specialists without concern for bowling balance. That improves the probability of long, continuous batting spells of the most successful hitters.

Most probably left-handed opening bats, with strong batting lineups, are the most likely. Abhishek Sharma is precisely that. Travis Head does. The situation in which 175 is put under pressure is a day when both pitch and opposition bowling favor them.

But there is still a difference between 141 and 175 of 34 runs. In T20 cricket, a 34-run difference does not count. It is quite another gearing of innings.

FAQs - Highest Individual Score in IPL History

What is the highest individual score in IPL history?

The highest individual score in IPL history is 175* by Chris Gayle for RCB against Pune Warriors in 2013.

Has anyone come close to breaking Gayle’s 175?

Yes, Brendon McCullum (158*) and Abhishek Sharma (141) have come closest, but no one has crossed 160 since 2013.

Who has the highest IPL score among Indian players?

Abhishek Sharma holds the record among Indian batters with 141 runs scored in 2025.

In which match was the first-ever IPL century scored?

The first IPL century was scored by Brendon McCullum (158*) in the opening match of IPL 2008 for KKR vs RCB. Jasprit Bumrah is the closest contender, but workload and injuries may limit his chances.

Has any player scored multiple top-10 highest IPL scores?

Yes, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers both appear twice in the top 10 list.

How has no one passed 175 in IPL since 2013?

The enhancement of bowling tactics, superior statistics, expert death bowlers, and more organized game theory has increased the difficulty of batters to play very long innings.

Which is the highest score made while chasing in IPL history?

Abhishek Sharma’s 141 in 2025 is the highest score made during a run chase among the top innings.

Which IPL innings had the highest strike rate among the top scores?

Abhishek Sharma’s 141 came at a strike rate of 256.36, the highest among the top 10 scores.

Will Gayle's 175 be broken?

Yes, it can, particularly under the present conditions of batting and such a rule as the Impact Player rule, but it will need an unusual combination of form, pitch, and opposition.

Which type of player is most likely to break this record?

Aggressive top-order batters, especially left-handed openers like Abhishek Sharma or Travis Head, have the best chance.