3 fastest fifties for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL

Modified Aug 23, 2020 01:55 IST

The Bangalore franchise once again starts as one of the strong contenders but again the goddess of fortune will have the final say.

Royal Challengers Bangalore are by far the most unfortunate team in the Indian Premier League (IPL). They are the only side in IPL to have made the most finals (three times) without winning the title. They lost to Deccan Chargers in 2009, to Chennai Super Kings in 2011 and Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016.

Although they are yet to win their maiden title, one thing that all will agree with is that RCB have always been a batting powerhouse and features some of the deadliest batsmen in their unit. These batsmen have produced some mind-boggling batting performances that have entertained fans across the world.

In this article, we will take a look at three of such performances - the fastest fifties scored for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL.

#3 AB de Villiers - 21 Balls

AB de Villiers is perhaps the most exciting batsman in world cricket when in full flow. He can take apart any bowling line-up in the world. His ability to play shots all-round the wicket has earned him the moniker Mr. 360.

Ever since ABD joined the RCB set-up, he has been a mainstay of their batting unit. For the Royal Challengers, he has produced some of the best knocks in IPL history over the years.

One such knock came in 2012 when he smashed 59* runs off just 23 balls playing against Rajasthan Royals. He came in to bat in 12th over, following Gayle's dismissal for 4.

RCB were reeling at 67 for 3, scoring less than 6 runs per over. From here, the innings' tempo changed dramatically as de Villiers and Dilshan blitzed 122 in the remaining 8.2 overs.

AB's innings was studded with 3 fours and 5 sixes as he carted the bowlers to all corners of the ground. He raced to his fifty in just 21 balls, which remains the third-fastest fifty for RCB in IPL history.

#2 Robin Uthappa - 19 Balls

Robin Uthappa's 19-balls fifty against Kings XI Punjab in the 2010 edition of the IPL is the second fastest fifty for RCB in the history of the tournament.

Punjab had set a target of 204 runs in 20 overs to the Challengers. Chasing anything over 200 is not an easy job. But RCB went after the target with such vengeance that Punjab seemed to be getting punished for daring to set such a daunting target.

Manish Pandey and Kaliis added 74 runs for the first wicket before the former fell prey to Piyush Chawla. That brought Uthappa to the crease. After walking into the middle, he smacked Chawla hard, following it up with a delicate late cut.

Abdulla was whacked over the second tier at deep mid-wicket. He smashed Sreesanth for three sixes and a four in a span of five balls.

His belligerent knock of 51-off-21 balls came to an end when he was caught by Mohammad Kaif at long-off. By that time, he had set the perfect platform for his team, helping them eventually win the match with 7 balls to spare.

#1 Chris Gayle - 17 Balls

Chris Gayle at his best is perhaps the most destructive batsman in the history of T20 cricket. A powerful batsman who can turn the tide of any match in a matter of overs, he is a prized commodity in all the T20 leagues around the world, IPL being no exception.

He owns most of the batting records in IPL. Hitting the fastest fifty for Royal Challengers Bangalore is one of them. He made this record during his epic inning of 175* against the Pune Warriors back in 2013.

It was the 31st match of the 2013 edition and Gayle set the stage on fire, smashing the fastest century ever in IPL. The opener went into carnage mode against the PWI bowlers from the word go, hitting them all over the park.

He brought up his fifty in just 17 balls, which remains the fastest fifty for RCB in IPL.