Top 10 Slowest Fifties in IPL History

The slowest fifty in the IPL is hit by JP Duminy as he took 55 balls to reach his half-century. Read on to find the top 10 batsman who scored the slowest fifties in IPL history…

The Indian Premier League is one of the most entertaining sporting leagues that attract billions of fans worldwide.

The IPL has witnessed so many exciting contests since its introduction in 2008, with the world’s greatest players performing and showcasing their calibre. 

T20 cricket, including the IPL, has always been a batsman’s game, with some of the best batters producing electrifying performances.

In IPL, we have seen batters breaking all sorts of records, whether it is scoring a fast century, a half-century or hitting the highest number of sixes in a particular tournament.

However, there have been instances when some batsmen registered the slowest half-centuries in this tournament. 

This could come as a big surprise for our readers because T20 is a fast-paced format, but yes, some batsmen have registered the slowest half-centuries in the history of IPL, which is quite unusual.

In this post, we will discuss the 10 batsmen who have registered the slowest fifties in IPL history. 

Top 10 Slowest Fifties in IPL History

Here’s the list of the slowest fifties in IPL history:

S.no.BatsmanBalls
1.JP Duminy55 balls
2.Parthiv Patel53 balls
3.Robin Uthappa52 balls
4.Brendon McCullum52 balls
5.Matthew Hayden51 balls
6.Jacques Kallis51 balls
7.Gautam Gambhir51 balls
8.David Warner50 balls
9.Murali Vijay50 balls
10.Virat Kohli45 balls

1. JP Duminy- 55 Balls (Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab in 2009)

One of the finest hitters in T20 Cricket, JP Duminy faced a lot of criticism after this game. The South African played for Mumbai Indians in the 2009 season. 

jp duminy slowest 50 in ipl
Credits: Duif du Toit/Gallo Images/Getty Images

Mumbai Indians were up against Kings XI Punjab. Batting first, Kings XI Punjab scored 119, and Mumbai Indians needed just 120, which looked like a cakewalk. 

Duminy scored 59 in 63 deliveries, and Mumbai Indians finished their inning at 116/7 in 20 overs. The left-hander can play the big shots to accelerate the scoring rate, but we witnessed a completely different Duminy in this innings.

2. Parthiv Patel- 53 Balls (Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab in 2010)

Former India wicket-keeper surprised himself after this inning. The left-hander is known for his aggressive style of play, but in this game, the 37-year-old didn’t try to accelerate once as he normally does. 

Patel accumulated the majority of his runs through singles and doubles by rotating the strike. 

The wicket-keeper batsman opened the batting for Chennai Super Kings against Kings XI Punjab in this group stage game in the 2010 season but didn’t pace his inning as he normally used to. 

Patel scored 58 in 57 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes to his name. CSK scored 136/7 in 20 overs, and Kings XI Punjab ended their inning at the same score. 

The result was decided through Super Over and Kings XI Punjab won the game in the super over. Patel was criticized for his slow approach.

3. Robin Uthappa- 52 Balls (Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Daredevils in 2012)

Uthappa has enjoyed the reputation of one of the powerful and cleanest strikers in the shorter formats, whether it was playing for the national team or franchise cricket. 

robin uthappa slowest 50 in ipl
Credits: DNA

But this particular inning in the 2012 IPL season was one of the slowest of his career. 

Uthappa was playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in that season and the RCB were playing against the Delhi Daredevils. 

The 35-year-old arrived at the crease when RCB were 1/2, and Uthappa scored 60 in 58 balls playing till the end. 

RCB scored 146, but Delhi Daredevils quickly chased the target with four overs remaining.

4. Brendon McCullum- 52 Balls (Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians in 2010)

The first name in the list itself is quite surprising. Former New Zealand wicket-keeper and skipper is known for his aggressive and attacking style of play. 

brendon mccullum slowest 50 in ipl
Credits: Scroll

The former wicket-keeper batsman always liked to attack the bowlers right from the word go, and his biggest strength was his ability to take the game away from the opposition with his powerful hitting abilities. 

McCullum scored his slowest half-century against the Mumbai Indians in 2010 while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders. Kolkata Knight Riders needed 134 in 20 overs. KKR won by 9 wickets, with McCullum scoring 57 from 56 balls.

5. Matthew Hayden- 51 Balls (Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians in 2009)

Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden played a key role in Chennai Super Kings’ win over Mumbai Indians in the 2009 season, but the Aussie wasn’t at his destructive best when it comes to his reputation of destroying the best bowling lineup. 

mathew hayden slowest 50 in ipl
Credits: Moneyball

We all know how the former Australian batsman can destroy the best bowling attacks. We have seen him hammer the best bowlers in the world in International, domestic cricket, and T20 cricket. 

However, Hayden’s innings would have been the rarest of his career. Chennai Super Kings chased a target of 148 set by Mumbai Indians, but Hayden scored 60 in 57 balls which would have been his slowest ever half-century.

6. Jacques Kallis- 51 Balls (Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Daredevils in 2009) 

One of the toughest competitors in world cricket and one of the most consistent batters in South African cricket, Jacques Kallis, has this unique record to his name. 

jacques kallis slowest 50 in ipl
Credits: News18

In the 2009 season, the former South African all-rounder played for Royal Challengers Bangalore. In this very season against Delhi Dardevils, RCB needed 135 in one of the games. 

Kallis opened the inning with Robin Uthappa, who got out in the first over. The former all-rounder showcased solidity at the crease, whether it was test cricket, one day cricket or T20 cricket during his playing days. 

Kallis was known for his adaptability. In Test cricket, he showed tremendous patience at the crease while in the limited-overs format he showcased his attacking prowess when needed. 

In this particular innings, Kallis remained cautious throughout his innings and scored 58 in 56 balls, helping RCB chase the total.

7. Gautam Gambhir- 51 Balls (Delhi Daredevils vs Chennai Superkings in 2010)

The former India opener possessed the temperament to sail through pressure situations. Gambhir’s greatest strength was his ability to pace his inning and adapt to situations and conditions. 

gautam gambhir slowest 50 in ipl
Credits: HT

Gambhir’s batting always revolved around his ability to rotate the strike and in between executing a big shot to the fence or clearing the boundary. Gambhir wasn’t afraid to take risks during his playing days, whether he was facing the pacers or the spinners. 

In one of his inning, in the 2010 IPL match against Chennai Super Kings, Gambhir showcased tremendous patience. Delhi Daredevils needed 113 in 20 overs.

Delhi lost three quick wickets within the first two overs. 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-day cricket, but this particular inning wasn’t similar to how Warner plays. 

david warner slowest 50 in ipl
Credits: OdishaBytes

In the 2021 edition of the IPL, the Australian was criticized for his poor form. The 34-year-old scored 57 in 55 deliveries. 

His over-cautious approach created more pressure on the other batters. Warner struggled throughout his innings, and his footwork looked out of sorts. 

The opener struggled against the CSK bowlers and couldn’t play his natural game. Warner was removed from his captaincy and dropped from the team for the next few games. 

Warner has this unique ability to play inventive strokes and can topple any bowling lineup with his attacking prowess. In this particular innings, Warner was quite watchful.

9. Murali Vijay- 50 Balls (Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab in 2013)

Murali Vijay was one of the best openers for Chennai Super Kings for many seasons. 

The Tamil Nadu batsman hammered the bowlers during his prime with ease and hand-eye coordination. 

murali vijay slowest 50 in ipl
Credits: Indiatv

Vijay had also opened for India in test matches and was a regular feature in the Indian team for quite some time. 

The 36-year-old has played some fine knocks in his IPL career but this particular knock was opposite to his style of play. 

In one of the games against Kings XI Punjab, Chennai Super Kings needed 139 to win, and Vijay had opened the inning with Brendon Mc Cullum. 

McCullum played an accelerating inning of 86 in 54 balls while Vijay scored 50 in 50 balls. 

It was a different inning from the right-hander who likes to attack the bowling, but Vijay didn’t take too many chances. 

Chennai Super Kings won the game without losing a wicket and achieved the target with more than two overs to go.

10. Virat Kohli- 45 Balls (Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Titans, 2022)

Who thought that the great Virat Kohli would be part of such a list, but here we are! The leading run-scorer of the IPL, Kohli hit a 45 ball 50 against the Gujarat Titans in the 2022 edition of the IPL. 

virat kohli slowest 50 in ipl
Credits: ESPN

Coming from a long list of low scores, Kohli was watchful since the start of his innings and was desperate to get back to form. 

This was his first 50 in 14 matches and his 43rd half-century in IPL history. He scored 58 off 53 balls in the match before getting clean-bowled by Indian speedster Mohammad Shami. 

While Kohli’s IPL career strike rate is around 130, this was a particularly slow inning. Nonetheless, the fans and fellow teammates cheered for Kohli, albeit his slow approach, as they were craving his return to form for a long time. 

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who hit slowest 50 in IPL?

The slowest 50 in the IPL is hit by JP Duminy. He scored 50 in 55 balls while playing for Mumbai Indians back in 2009. His 50 came against the Kings XI Punjab.

Who hit slowest 50 in IPL 2022?

Virat Kohli hit the slowest 50 in IPL 2022. His 50 came off 25 balls against the Gujarat Titans.

Who hit the slowest century in IPL history?

The slowest century in IPL was scored by Manish Pandey while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore. His century came in 67 balls.

Conclusion

So there you have it, folks! This was the list of the slowest 50s in IPL history. We hope that you liked reading about this unusual list of the slowest half-centuries in IPL history and the players involved. 

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