IPL 2017: Oldest centurions in IPL history

#4 Chris Gayle – 35 years and 227 days

Chris Gayle’s 57-ball 117 handed RCB a thumping 138-run victory over Kings XI Punjab

“Age is just a number” is a phrase best used to describe Chris Gayle as the swashbuckling West Indies batsman has continued to score big despite being well into his 30s. Gayle is the fifth highest run-scorer in IPL history with 3426 runs and has so far garnered five centuries, all of which have come in his 30s.

The most recent one of these came against Kings XI Punjab at IPL 2015.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore garnered nine points from as many matches and needed to register a victory against the Kings XI Punjab to keep their playoff hopes alive. As far as the Kings XI Punjab were concerned, anything other than a win would put an end to their challenge.

Kings XI Punjab won the toss and elected to field first. Gayle began the first over slowly but began playing aggressively from the very next over, smashing 20 runs off Mitchell Johnson’s bowling.

Gayle went on smashing the Punjab bowlers while Kohli stayed calm at the other end. The southpaw brought up his 50 in just 22 deliveries as RCB were cruising at a run-rate of above 10.

Gayle went on to smash his first IPL century in two years and 14^th T20 century in just 46 deliveries and went on to score 117 off 57 deliveries before being dismissed. A 24-ball 47 from AB de Villiers saw RCB end their innings on a mammoth 226/3 in their 20 overs.

In reply, Punjab were skittled out for 88 and became the first team to be eliminated from the IPL. Gayle was eventually adjudged the Man of the Match for his brilliant ton.