The Indian Premier League is one of the most popular sports leagues in the world, with billions of fans worldwide.
Since its inception in 2008, the IPL has seen many exciting contests, with the world’s best players performing and showcasing their abilities.
T20 cricket, including the IPL, has always been a batsman’s game, with some of the best batters putting on electrifying displays.
In the IPL, batters have broken all kinds of records, whether it’s scoring a quick century, a half-century, or hitting the most sixes in a single tournament.
However, some batsmen have recorded the slowest half-centuries in this tournament.
This may surprise our readers because T20 is a fast-paced format, but some batsmen have recorded the slowest half-centuries in IPL history, which is quite unusual.
In this post, we will look at the ten batsmen who have the slowest fifties in IPL history.
1. JP Duminy- 55 Balls (Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab in 2009)
JP Duminy, one of the best hitters in T20 cricket, was slammed after this game. During the 2009 season, the South African played for the Mumbai Indians.
Mumbai Indians took on Kings XI Punjab. Batting first, Kings XI Punjab scored 119, and Mumbai Indians needed only 120 runs to win.
Mumbai Indians finished their inning at 116/7 in 20 overs after Duminy scored 59 in 63 deliveries. The left-hander can hit big shots to increase the scoring rate, but we saw a different Duminy in this inning.
2. Parthiv Patel- 53 Balls (Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab in 2010)
After this inning, the former India wicket-keeper was taken aback. The left-hander is known for his aggressive style of play, but he didn’t try to accelerate once in this game, as he usually does.
Patel scored most of his runs on singles and doubles by rotating the strike.
In this group stage game in the 2010 season, the wicket-keeper batsman opened the batting for Chennai Super Kings against Kings XI Punjab, but he did not pace his inning as he usually does.
Patel scored 58 in 57 balls, with four fours and two sixes. CSK scored 136/7 in 20 overs, while Kings XI Punjab finished with the same score.
The game was decided by the Super Over, and Kings XI Punjab won it. Patel was chastised for his methodical approach.
3. Robin Uthappa- 52 Balls (Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Daredevils in 2012)
Uthappa has established a reputation as one of the most powerful and clean strikers in the shorter formats, whether for the national team or for franchise cricket.
However, this inning in the 2012 IPL season was one of his slowest of his career.
Uthappa was playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the time, and the RCB were facing the Delhi Daredevils.
Uthappa, 35, entered the crease when RCB were 1/2, and he scored 60 in 58 balls while playing until the end.
RCB scored 146, but Delhi Daredevils quickly chased it down with four overs to go.
4. Brendon McCullum- 52 Balls (Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians in 2010)
The first name on the list is quite unexpected. Former New Zealand captain and wicket-keeper is known for his aggressive and attacking style of play.
The former wicket-keeper batsman was known for attacking bowlers right away, and his greatest strength was his ability to take the game away from opponents with his powerful hitting abilities.
While playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders, McCullum recorded his slowest half-century against the Mumbai Indians in 2010. The Kolkata Knight Riders required 134 runs in 20 overs. McCullum scored 57 off 56 balls to help KKR win by 9 wickets.
5. Matthew Hayden- 51 Balls (Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians in 2009)
Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden was instrumental in Chennai Super Kings’ 2009 season victory over Mumbai Indians, but the Aussie wasn’t at his destructive best when it came to destroying the best bowling lineup.
We’ve all seen how the former Australian batsman can annihilate even the best bowling attacks. We’ve seen him hammer the world’s best bowlers in international, domestic, and T20 cricket.
Hayden’s innings, on the other hand, would have been the most unusual of his career. The Chennai Super Kings chased a target of 148 set by the Mumbai Indians, but Hayden scored 60 in 57 balls, his slowest half-century ever.
6. Jacques Kallis- 51 Balls (Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Daredevils in 2009)
Jacques Kallis, one of the toughest competitors in world cricket and one of the most consistent batters in South African cricket, holds this unique record.
The former South African all-rounder played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2009 season. RCB needed 135 in one of their games this season against the Delhi Dardevils.
Kallis began the inning with Robin Uthappa, who was caught stealing in the first over. Whether it was test cricket, one-day cricket, or T20 cricket, the former all-rounder demonstrated solidity at the crease.
Kallis was well-known for his versatility. In Test cricket, he displayed tremendous patience at the crease, while in limited-overs cricket, he demonstrated his attacking prowess when required.
In this particular innings, Kallis was cautious throughout and scored 58 in 56 balls, assisting RCB in chasing the total.
7. Gautam Gambhir- 51 Balls (Delhi Daredevils vs Chennai Superkings in 2010)
Former India opener had the temperament to handle high-pressure situations. Gambhir’s most valuable asset was his ability to pace his innings and adapt to changing situations and conditions.
Gambhir’s batting was always defined by his ability to rotate the strike in between hitting a big shot to the fence or clearing the boundary. He was not afraid to take risks while playing, whether he was facing pacers or spinners.
Gambhir demonstrated tremendous patience in one of his innings during the 2010 IPL match against Chennai Super Kings. The Delhi Daredevils needed 113 points in 20 overs.
Within the first two overs, Delhi lost three quick wickets. Gambhir batted at No 4, and the left-hander scored a patient 57 in 56 balls to win the game for Delhi Daredevils.
8. David Warner – 50 Balls (Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings in 2021)
David Warner is one of the most destructive openers in modern cricket, but this inning was not typical of him.
The Australian was chastised for his poor performance in the IPL 2021. In 55 deliveries, the 34-year-old scored 57 points.
His overly cautious approach put additional pressure on the other batters. Warner struggled throughout his inning, and his footwork appeared off.
The opener struggled against CSK’s bowlers and was unable to play his natural game. Warner was relieved of his captaincy and suspended for the next few games.
Warner possesses the rare ability to play inventive strokes and can demolish any bowling lineup with his attacking prowess. Warner was particularly vigilant in this inning.
9. Murali Vijay- 50 Balls (Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab in 2013)
Murali Vijay was one of Chennai Super Kings’ best openers for many seasons.
During his prime, the Tamil Nadu batsman hammered the bowlers with ease and hand-eye coordination.
Vijay had also opened for India in test matches and had been a regular in the Indian team for a long time.
The 36-year-old has delivered some fine knocks in his IPL career, but this one was out of character for him.
Chennai Super Kings needed 139 runs to win one of their games against Kings XI Punjab, and Vijay opened the inning with Brendon Mc Cullum.
McCullum batted 86 balls in 54 pitches, while Vijay batted 50 balls in 50 pitches.
It was a different inning from Vijay, who likes to attack the bowling, but he didn’t take too many chances.
The Chennai Super Kings won the game without losing a wicket and finished with more than two overs to spare.
10. Virat Kohli- 45 Balls (Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Titans, 2022)
Who would have guessed that the great Virat Kohli would be on such a list, but here we are! Kohli, the IPL’s leading run-scorer, hit a 45-ball 50 against the Gujarat Titans in the 2022 season.
Coming off a string of low scores, Kohli was wary from the start of his innings, desperate to regain his form.
This was his first half-century in 14 matches and his 43rd in IPL history. He scored 58 runs off 53 balls before being clean bowled by Indian paceman Mohammad Shami.
While Kohli’s career strike rate in the IPL is around 130, this was a particularly slow inning. Nonetheless, fans and teammates cheered for Kohli, despite his slow approach, as they had been waiting for his return to form for a long time.
