Fastest 50s For RCB In IPL

Fastest 50s For RCB In IPL

Rajat Patidar in action against SRH during IPL 2024 (AP)

Few franchises evoke as much anticipation and fervor as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). With a legacy steeped in batting excellence, as well as a passionate fan base, RCB’s journey through the IPL has been marked by moments by sheer brilliance and unwavering zeal.

Among these moments, the quest for scoring quick runs has always remained unsatiable, considering the franchise has been graced with the presence of some of the hard-hitters of the cricket ball the game has ever seen, be it the likes of Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell or others.

Celebrating RCB’s rich IPL history with the bat, here at OneCricket , we take a look at three cricketers who have charted the fastest half-centuries in the history of the franchise.

Fastest Half-Centuries For RCB in IPL

3. Rajat Patidar - 19 balls vs SRH, IPL 2024

Just a few days after caning Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) with an imperial 21-ball fifty, RCB star Rajat Patidar unfurled another batting masterclass, this time against an all-firing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) unit in match number 41 of the IPL 2024 season.

Batting at number four and arriving to the crease following the sudden dismissals of captain Faf du Plessis and Will Jacks at Hyderabad, Patidar became the aggressor of a 65-run partnership with well-set opener and ‘Orange Cap’ holder Virat Kohli. Taking just 34 balls to form the belligerent stand, Patidar shaped 50 of those runs off his own blade from 19 deliveries before he got his stay curtailed by Jaydev Unadkat.

Regardless, the 30-year-old unleashed much chaos during his time in the middle, flogging the SRH bowlers with two boundaries and five scorching sixes to set up foundation of a huge RCB total upfront. Emboldened by Rajat Patidar’s blitzkriegs, Cameron Green and Dinesh Karthik slapped crucial death overs cameos to take RCB to 206-7.

2. Robin Uthappa - 19 balls vs PBKS, IPL 2010

Robin Uthappa during IPL 2010 (BCCI)

Robin Uthappa clattered the likes of Irfan Pathan, S Sreesanth and Piyush Chawla during his demolition job over Punjab Kings during the earlier stages of the IPL 2010 season in Bengaluru. Batting at number three while chasing a monumental 204-run target, the dashing right-hander crashed four boundaries and four sixes to race to a 19-ball half-century.

While Uthappa was eventually dismissed by Bipul Sharma with a 21-ball 51 to his name, his whirlwind knock ensured that RCB blazed its way near the 150-run mark inside 15 overs. The cricketer’s run-chase heroics, alongside Jacques Kallis’ masterful 89* became the catalyst of a clinical RCB win with eight wickets and seven balls to spare.

At the time, Robin Uthappa held the record of RCB’s quickest half-century until he was usurped by Chris Gayle at the same venue three seasons later.

1. Chris Gayle - 17 balls vs PWI, IPL 2013

Chris Gayle in action against Pune Warriors India during IPL 2013 (BCCI)

Records shattered, sixes soared and the scoreboard lit up in a blaze of glory on the evening of April 23 back during IPL 2013 when Chris Gayle decided to launch an all-out assault on the now-defunct Pune Warriors franchise.

Opening the innings for RCB at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, the legendary West Indies-based opener bashed a 17-ball half-century by the end of just the fifth over of the innings. While the innings marked RCB’s fastest fifty at the time, Gayle was far from over as he had clearly intended for a few more records to conquer.

The cricketer ended up drilling 13 boundaries and 17 towering sixes on his way to a 30-ball century, a 53-ball 150, and eventually concluded his stay at an unbeaten 175* from 66 deliveries. Gayle’s authoritarian outing ensured the legendary T20 opener walked away with the format’s highest individual score of all time, and helped his franchise to a record team total of 263-5 that stood tall until IPL 2024.

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