KL Rahul has just played the highest individual score in IPL history by an Indian. His unbeaten 152 off 63 balls against Punjab Kings at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday powered Delhi Capitals to 264 — the sixth-highest team total in IPL history — and placed him third on the all-time list of highest individual scores, behind only Chris Gayle (175*) and Brendon McCullum (158*).
Rahul is now just the third batter in 19 seasons of the IPL to cross the 150-mark in a single innings. No Indian had done it before today.
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Where KL Rahul’s 152* Sits In The All-Time List
Here is the updated top 10 list of highest individual scores in IPL history after Rahul’s knock:
- 175* — Chris Gayle (RCB vs PWI, 2013) — 66 balls
- 158* — Brendon McCullum (KKR vs RCB, 2008) — 73 balls
- 152* — KL Rahul (DC vs PBKS, 2026) — 63 balls
- 140* — Quinton de Kock (LSG vs KKR, 2022) — 70 balls
- 135* — Abhishek Sharma (SRH vs DC, 2026) — 56 balls
- 133* — AB de Villiers (RCB vs MI, 2015) — 59 balls
- 128* — Rishabh Pant (DC vs SRH, 2018) — 63 balls
- 127* — Virat Kohli (RCB vs GT, 2024) — 63 balls
- 126* — David Warner (SRH vs KKR, 2017) — 59 balls
- 122 — Sai Sudharsan (GT vs RCB, 2025) — 58 balls
Three of the top five entries now belong to IPL 2026 — Rahul’s 152*, Abhishek Sharma’s 135*, and Sudharsan’s entry from last season has been pushed further down. This has been the most explosive batting season in tournament history.
The Innings: How Rahul Built His Record Knock
Rahul was dropped on 12 by Shashank Singh at square leg off Arshdeep Singh in the third over — a regulation catch that burst through the fielder’s hands. It was the costliest drop of IPL 2026.
From there, Rahul was unstoppable. He raced to a 26-ball fifty — his fastest since a 25-ball effort against CSK in 2021 — scoring 35 of DC’s 68 powerplay runs at a strike rate north of 200. He brought up his century off just 47 balls with a trademark drive through long-off against Marco Jansen, becoming the first DC batter to score a hundred this season and registering his sixth IPL century overall.
But the most remarkable phase came after the hundred. Rahul accelerated further, smashing boundaries at will against a visibly deflated PBKS attack. A Nitish Rana onslaught — 91 off 40 balls, including a 28-run over off Xavier Bartlett (6, 4, 4, 4, 4, 6) — provided the perfect support act, but this was Rahul’s day from first ball to last.
The Highest Individual Score In IPL History By An Indian
Before today, the highest score by an Indian batter in IPL history was Abhishek Sharma’s 135* for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Delhi Capitals earlier this month. That record lasted exactly 17 days. Rahul’s 152* now sits 17 runs clear at the top.
For context, only two overseas batters — Gayle and McCullum — have scored higher than Rahul in 19 years of the tournament. And both those knocks came in very different eras of T20 cricket. Gayle’s 175* was scored in 2013 against a Pune Warriors attack that no longer exists. McCullum’s 158* came in the very first IPL match ever played in 2008.
Rahul’s innings, by contrast, came against an unbeaten Punjab Kings side sitting top of the IPL 2026 points table, featuring Arshdeep Singh, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett and Yuzvendra Chahal — arguably the most well-rounded bowling attack in the tournament. The quality of opposition makes it one of the greatest T20 innings ever played, not just in the IPL.
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DC’s 264: Where It Ranks Among Highest Team Scores In IPL History
Delhi Capitals’ 264 is the sixth-highest team total in IPL history, behind four SRH totals (287/3, 286/6, 278/3 and 277/3 — all from 2024-25) and KKR’s 272/7 against DC in 2024. It is, however, the highest team total by Delhi Capitals in franchise history and just the second time DC have crossed 260 in 19 seasons.
Rahul’s 152* contributed 57.5% of DC’s total — the highest percentage contribution in any 250-plus team total in IPL history.
Punjab Kings now face a target of 265 to maintain their unbeaten record. If they chase it down, it would be the highest successful run chase in IPL history, surpassing PBKS’ own 262/2 against KKR in 2024.
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