Five Indian T20 League Records That Are Impossible to Surpass

The Indian T20 League 2023 auction is just around the corner, and the teams are all set to build their teams. A lot of action in the auction room is expected this time around as some of the teams look to rebuild their squads. In the meantime, let's take a look back at some of the Indian T20 League records that might never be broken.

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1. Highest individual score- 175* by Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle (Source: Twitter)

Chris Gayle, arguably the greatest T20 batter of all time, wreaked havoc on the hapless Pune bowlers in a game played on the flat pitch of the tiny M Chinnaswamy Stadium in 2013. He smashed the fastest T20 century off 30 balls on his way to an iconic onslaught of 175 unbeaten runs from only 66 balls - the highest individual score in a T20 game.

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His innings featured 17 sixes and 13 fours, the most in an Indian T20 League innings by a batsman. This appears to be one of those unbreakable records. In addition, following Gayle's devastation, AB de Villiers delivered a thunderous cameo of 31 runs off 8 balls, propelling Bangalore to a total of 263 runs.

2. Most Sixes in the tournament- 357 by Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle (Source: Twitter)

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Among Chris Gayle's many T20 batting records, this one is unlikely to be broken in the coming years. Gayle has smashed 357 sixes in 141 Indian T20 League innings. The retired AB de Villiers is a long way behind Gayle with 251 sixes in 170 innings.

Rohit Sharma is third with 227 sixes in 208 innings. He is one of only two players in the top five who are still competing in the tournament. Sharma is nearing the end of his career and would have to bat uncharacteristically aggressively to come close to Gayle's total.

3. Most runs in a single season- 973 by Virat Kohli in 2016

Virat Kohli (Source: Twitter)

In the 2016 season, then-Bangalore captain Virat Kohli scored runs like a beast. Kohli slammed four centuries and seven fifties that season, amassing 973 runs and narrowly missing the elusive 1000-run mark. He led the team to the final, but they were defeated by Hyderabad.

The second-best season for a batsman was also in 2016, when David Warner scored 848 runs, trailing Kohli big time. Kohli's four centuries in 2016 also set a record for the most hundreds in a single season, which is unlikely to be broken.

4. Most finals as a captain- 9 by MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni (Source: Twitter)

Since the first season, MS Dhoni has been the name and face of the Chennai-based team. Dhoni led Chennai to four Indian T20 League titles, but they also lost five other finals. Chennai has only failed to make the playoffs twice, in 2020 and 2022.

Dhoni's consistency in leading the team to the playoffs and finals has been admirable. They won their last title in the 2021 season, and Dhoni will captain them again in 2023, possibly for the final time. This is one of those records that may never be broken.

5. Longest winning streak- 10 by Kolkata

Kolkata (Source: Twitter)

Kolkata, Gautam Gambhir-led team, was one of the most dominant teams in T20 cricket, winning two Indian T20 League titles and a Champions League final. During the 2014-15 season, Kolkata won 10 consecutive games, the longest winning streak of any team in the tournament.

In 2014, after winning only two of their first seven games, Kolkata went on a nine-game winning streak that included the final. They began the 2015 season with a win, extending their winning streak to ten games. They, however, lost their second game and ended their streak. With all teams now evenly matched, it's difficult for any team to go on such a long winning streak.