The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been one of the most popular T20 leagues in the world and has always been known for its big-hitting batters since its inception in 2008.
One of the most significant landmarks in the IPL is when a batsman scores a century in a match, which shows their skill and class to shift the moment of the game in few minutes .Each season, fans witness some outstanding individual performances, and the first centurion of each IPL season is always a highly anticipated event.
Let’s take a look at the first centurion of each IPL season since the inaugural season in 2008:
2008 – Brendon McCullum (Kolkata Knight Riders) – 158* vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
The first IPL season began with a bang as Brendon McCullum smashed an unbeaten 158 off just 73 balls in the first match of the tournament. His innings was studded with 13 sixes and 10 fours, and it remains one of the most memorable innings in IPL history.
2009 – AB de Villiers (Delhi Daredevils) – 105* vs Chennai Super Kings
AB de Villiers announced himself in style in the second season of IPL as he smashed an unbeaten 105 off just 54 balls against Chennai Super Kings. His innings included six sixes and five fours, and it helped Delhi Daredevils chase down a target of 191 with ease.
2010 – Yusuf Pathan (Rajasthan Royals) – 100 vs Mumbai Indians
Yusuf Pathan, the hard-hitting all-rounder, lit up the third season of IPL with a breathtaking century against Mumbai Indians. He smashed an unbeaten 100 off just 37 balls, which included nine fours and eight sixes. His innings remains one of the fastest centuries in IPL history.
2011 – Paul Valthaty (Kings XI Punjab) – 120* vs Chennai Super Kings
Paul Valthaty, a little-known cricketer at the time, produced a stunning innings of 120 not out off just 63 balls against Chennai Super Kings in the fourth season of IPL. His innings was studded with two sixes and nineteen fours, and it remains one of the most unexpected centuries in IPL history.
2012 – Ajinkya Rahane (Rajasthan Royals) – 103* vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Ajinkya Rahane, the stylish Indian batsman, scored his maiden IPL century in the fifth season of the tournament. He smashed an unbeaten 103 off just 60 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore with the assistance of twelve boundaries down the ground and five huge sixes all over the park.
2013 – Shane Watson (Rajasthan Royals) – 101 vs Chennai Super Kings
Shane Watson, the Australian all-rounder, produced a match-winning innings of 101 not out off just 61 balls with six sixes and six fours against Chennai Super Kings in the sixth season of IPL. His impressive knock went in vain as Chennai chase down a target of 186 with ease.
2014 – Lendl Simmons (Mumbai Indians) – 100* vs Kings XI Punjab
Lendl Simmons, the West Indian opener, scored his maiden IPL century in the seventh season of the tournament. He smashed an unbeaten 100 off just 61 balls against Kings XI Punjab, which included fourteen fours and two sixes.
2015 – Brendon McCullum (Chennai Super Kings) – 100* vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Brendon
Brendon McCullum became the first player to score two centuries in IPL history as he scored an unbeaten 100* off just 56 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the eighth season of the tournament. He smashed seven hard-hitting fours and nine towering sixes all over the ground, and led his team Chennai Super Kings to win over Hyderabad by 45 runs.
2016 – Quinton de Kock (Delhi Daredevils) – 108 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
The 2016 IPL season saw Quinton de Kock, the South African wicket-keeper batsman, score the first century of the tournament. Playing for Delhi Daredevils, de Kock smashed 108 off 51 balls against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, which included fifteen boundaries and three sixes. Quinton de Kock’s knock will always be remembered as one of the best innings in IPL history.
2017 – Sanju Samson (Delhi Daredevils) – 102 vs Rising Pune Supergiant
Sanju Samson, the young Indian batsman, scored his first IPL century in the 2017 season while playing for Delhi Daredevils. Samson’s innings came against Rising Pune Supergiant, where he scored 102 off 63 balls, which included eight boundaries and five sixes. Delhi won the match by 97 runs.
2018 – Chris Gayle (Kings XI Punjab) – 104* vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
The Universe Boss, Chris Gayle, scored the first century of the 2018 season while playing for Kings XI Punjab. Gayle’s innings came against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he remained unbeaten on 104 off just 63 balls, which included one boundary and eleven sixes. His innings helped Kings XI Punjab to post a massive total of 193/3, and they won the match by 15 runs.
2019 – Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals) – 102* vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sanju Samson achieved the feat in the 2019 season while playing for Rajasthan Royals. Samson’s century came against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he scored 102* off just 55 balls, which included ten boundaries and four sixes. His innings helped Rajasthan Royals to post a massive total of 198/2, but they lost the match by 5 wickets.
2020 – KL Rahul (Kings XI Punjab) – 132* vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
KL Rahul, the Indian wicket-keeper batsman, scored the first century of the 2020 IPL season while playing for Kings XI Punjab. Rahul’s innings came against Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he remained unbeaten on 132* off just 69 balls, which included fourteen boundaries and seven sixes. His innings helped Kings XI Punjab to post a massive total of 206/3, and they won the match by 97 runs.
2021 – Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals) – 119 vs Punjab Kings
Sanju Samson’s century came against Punjab Kings, where he scored 119 off just 63 balls, which included twelve boundaries and seven sixes. Samson played really well , chasing down mammoth total of 221, but Punjab Kings defended and won by a small margin of just four runs.
2022 – Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals) – 100 vs Mumbai Indians:
The first centurion of the 2022 IPL season was English cricketer Jos Buttler, who scored an unbeaten 100 off just 68 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Mumbai Indians. The match was played at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai on April 2, 2022.
Buttler’s knock included eleven fours and five sixes and helped Rajasthan Royals post a formidable total of 193/4 in their 20 overs. Mumbai Indians, in response, could only manage 170/8 in their 20 overs, and Rajasthan Royals won the match by 23 runs.
2023 – Harry Brooks (Sunrisers Hyderabad ) – 100* vs Kolkata Knight Riders:
The first centurion of the 2023 IPL season was the young English opener Harry Brooks, who scored an unbeaten 100 off just 58 balls for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders.
The match was played at the Eden Garden Stadium on April 15, 2023. Brooks’ knock included twelve fours and three sixes and helped Sunrisers Hyderabad post a massive total of 228/4 in their 20 overs. Kolkata Knight Riders, in response, could only manage 205/7 in their 20 overs, and Hyderabad won the match by 23 runs.
Over the years, we have seen some incredible innings from some of the best cricketers in the world. The first centurions of each IPL season will always be remembered for their exceptional performances, and Harry Brooks has recently added his name to this illustrious list. It will be interesting to see who will be the first centurion of the next IPL season and what new records they will set.
The New Clear Mind – a professional writer who’s got a passion for three things- Reading, Writing, & Cricket!
