The quickest fifties in IPL seldom come by design. A batsman is feeling good about himself on a particular day, shots are coming off, the timing is there, the team has to chase a huge total, or he takes a liking to a couple of bowlers, and bingo!
It starts as a boundary bash, but in a couple of overs, a cameo turns into a half-century. India's KL Rahul currently holds the record, having raced to 50 off just 14 balls. Here's a look at the fastest 50s in IPL cricket:
KL Rahul (14 balls)
KL Rahul is one player who has grown by leaps and bounds. He has become one of the leading batsmen at the IPL, and also captains KXIP now. The clean striker holds the record for hitting the fastest-ever 50 in IPL history, even quicker than big-hitters like Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard.
It was in IPL 2018 when Rahul went completely berserk. He cracked a 14-ball fifty for Kings XI Punjab against Delhi Capitals to break the record. In the second match of the 2018 season, Rahul registered the fastest fifty ever in IPL off just 14 balls.
Sunil Narine, Yusuf Pathan (15 balls)
While Yusuf Pathan is a proper batsman, Sunil Narine is known for his agricultural swipes. But as long as the runs are coming, the manner doesn't really count in T20 cricket.
Yusuf and Narine share the record for the second-fastest IPL fifty. Yusuf smoked the knock while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014. Narine took on the Royal Challengers Bangalore bowlers in 2017 to bring up the half-century off 15 balls.
Suresh Raina (16 balls)
With Chennai Super Kings chasing 227 against Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2014, Suresh Raina let loose. The southpaw took the Punjab bowlers to the cleaners and got to his fifty off just 16 balls. After bringing up the third-fastest fifty in tournament's history, he went on to smack 87 off just 25 balls.
Adam Gilchrist, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Hardik Pandya, Chris Morris (17 balls)
Seeing the long list, it might seem child's play, but each of the above batsmen have pedigree. Seven batsmen have scored fifties off just 17 balls over the past 12 editions of the IPL. The list includes three Mumbai Indians power players in Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya.
Rishabh Pant and Jos Buttler have scored IPL fifties off 18 balls each.
