Yusuf Pathan hits fastest IPL half-century
Yusuf Pathan, on Saturday, scored the fastest half-century in the history of the Indian Premier League against Sunrisers Hyderabad, en route to a brilliant 72 from just 22 balls. He reached his fifty in just 15 balls.
The Kolkata Knight Riders batsman bettered the previous record held jointly by Adam Gilchrist and Chris Gayle, both of whom had scored a 50 in 17 balls. Glichrist’s innings came against the Delhi Daredevils during the 2009 semi-finals, and Gayle’s knock was against Pune Warriors India last season when he hit a magnificent 175 from just 66 balls.
Pathan’s innings was of special signifigance as it helped KKR greatly with their run-rate and helped them finish the league stage of the IPL in the top two, which will enable them to play the first qualifier against Kings XI Punjab at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday.
If they hadn’t reached the target in 15.2 overs, KKR would have had to play in the Eliminator and Chennai Super Kings would have played the team from Punjab in the first qualifier. But thanks to Yusuf Pathan and a handy 41 from in-form batsman Robin Uthappa, they got there with room to spare.
This was also the second fastest 50 by any Indian, with only the 12-ball-50 from Yuvraj Singh against England at the 2007 ICC World T20 bettering it.
To know about others who have hit similar gutsy knocks read <Fastest centuries in IPL>