Indian Premier League: A Tale Of Centuries - From McCullum's Opening Act To Kohli's Chartbusters

Quite a bit has changed since. Temporary franchise stays, long-term player investments, rules, drama and whatnot. 

After 1090 IPL battles, Sai Sudharsan's fascinating hundred against the Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad not only kept Gujarat Titans’ playoff hopes alive, but also marked a historic milestone as the 100th ton ever to be scored in the league. 

A day prior to Sudharsan’s heroics against Ruturaj Gaikwad’s men, the IPL’s all-time highest run-getter Virat Kohli was close to reaching the landmark after scoring 92 against the Punjab Kings.

The latest entrant into the lucrative league’s century books was Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill with his 104 against CSK.

While Kolkata Knight Riders’ overseas signing McCullum was the first-ever IPL centurion, it was Manish Pandey who was the first Indian to achieve the milestone at Centurion in South Africa back in 2009. 

Nine years after Pandey’s onslaught, it was Rishabh Pant who scored the 50th IPL hundred in 2018. Not many dark batting clouds since and with the winds of change truly blowing, it has taken just six years to double it.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru superstar Virat Kohli with eight has the most 100+ scores in the IPL. Rajasthan Royals’ Jos Buttler is second on the list with seven followed by former RCB opener Chris Gayle with six. 

David Warner, Shane Watson and KL Rahul are joint-fourth on the list with four IPL centuries each. The 2024 season has been a very productive one in terms of hundreds with 14 already. The 2023 season saw 12 being scored. 

Among the 57 players who have scored 101 IPL centuries, 29 Indians and 28 foreign signings make the list.