- Seven batters have scored hundreds in the IPL playoffs.
- Murali Vijay could have been the first player to do so twice.
- We look at the three highest individual scores in the IPL playoffs.
They say the biggest stars shine brightest at the most crucial moments. And in the IPL, no moments are more crucial than the playoff stage. Only seven batters have scored hundreds in IPL playoff matches. Of these seven, five were Indian and two overseas.
Chennai Super Kings’ Murali Vijay could have been the first man with two such centuries. Unfortunately, he fell five short of what would have been his first IPL playoff hundred against RCB in 2011.
Top 3 individual scores in IPL playoffs
The IPL playoffs over the years have seen some iconic innings from some elite batters. With the IPL 2026 playoff stage all set to play out this week, we look back at the three highest individual scores in IPL playoff matches.
Shane Watson – 117*, CSK vs SRH (Final, 2018)
Chasing 179 to win the title on their return to the IPL after a two-year absence, Shane Watson didn’t get the Chennai Super Kings off to the best of starts. The Aussie all-rounder played out a maiden off Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s first over. In fact, Watson was unable to score off his first 10 balls.
And then something changed. Sandeep Sharma overpitched one on the 11th ball and Watson drilled it past the bowler for four. Sharma would come in for more punishment at the Australian’s hands later in the innings. The bowler went for 27 in the 13th over when Watson hit him for a hat-trick of sixes and two more fours to boot.
Watson hit 11 fours and eight sixes on his way to an unbeaten 117 off just 57 balls. He had played arguably one of the greatest IPL innings of all time and won CSK the final. Best of players. Greatest of occasions.
Also Read: 3 highest bowling averages in T20 tournament history
Virender Sehwag – 122, KXIP vs CSK (Qualifier 2, 2014)
The Kings XI Punjab, as they were then known, had never made the final until then. In fact, this was just their first playoff stage appearance since the first edition of the IPL in 2008. Standing on their path to the final? Only the then two-time IPL champions: CSK.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man they say. Legendary Indian opener Virender Sehwag chose just that day to make his worth known to the cricketing world. Sehwag punished the bowlers regardless whether it was a pacer or a spinner.
Long-time Indian international stalwarts Ashish Nehra and Ravindra Jadeja came in for the most punishment at Sehwag’s hands. The former Indian opener hit 12 fours and eight sixes as he scored a 58-ball 122. As a result, KXIP scored a formidable 226-6 in their 20 overs, beating CSK by 24 runs and qualifying for their first-ever IPL final.
Shubman Gill – 129, GT vs MI (Qualifier 2, 2023)
From one incredible Indian opener to another. From one five-time champion opponent to another. Nine years since Sehwag hammered the CSK bowlers all around the park, we’d be treated to another Qualifier 2 special. This time from the blade of Shubman Gill.
The Gujarat Titans had made the most dramatic of entries into the IPL in 2022. By winning the whole thing. A year later, they were now trying to make a second consecutive final. Having been put in to bat by MI, Gill got GT off to a decent start. 50-0 in six overs.
The acceleration came in the middle overs, however. A 32-ball 50 became a 49-ball 100. Gill would eventually be dismissed by Akash Madhwal for 129 off 60 balls. The 10 sixes he hit on the night are also the most by any batter in a single IPL playoffs innings.
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