5 Batsmen Who Can Break Chris Gayle's Record Innings Of 175 In IPL

West Indian batsman Chris Gayle is a custodian of numerous T20 records and is a veteran of 404 matches, debuting in 2005. One such record he holds and which might go unbreakable is his score of unbeaten 175 that he hammered in the 2013 IPL against the Pune Warriors for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. In the process, he broke the record of 158 hit by Brendon McCullum in the same tournament.

Also Read: Chris Gayle Answers How Many Innings Will It Take For Him To Reach An IPL hundred

The Jamaican shattered the bowling attack of the Pune Warriors at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, racing to a century in 30 deliveries. While several players have threatened to overhaul Gayle’s record, not one has gone past it. With the 13th season of the IPL approaching, there remains a massive prospect of new records getting created and this could surely be in danger.

We take a look at five players who can break Chris Gayle’s record of 175:

Chris Gayle:

Who better than Chris Gayle himself to thwart his own record? Chris Gayle is one of the most destructive batsmen in the history of IPL and played for multiple franchises in the extravaganza. Gayle’s 175 contained 13 fours and 17 sixes that catapulted RCB to 260 in the first innings. With six centuries in the tournament, he sits at the top of the list.

The 40-year old also bagged the orange cap two years consecutively in 2011 and 2012. In 125 IPL fixtures, the Jamaican has 4484 runs, striking at 151.03. Despite his diminishing abilities, he has asserted that he would take only one inning to score an IPL hundred and that could be a harbinger for something massive.

Jos Buttler:

Jos Buttler is one of the powerful strikers of the ball and is one of the integral reason behind England’s rise in white-ball cricket. While Jos Buttler usually bats down the order, Rajasthan Royals promoted him to the top of the line-up in 2018. And the Englishman yielded some magical numbers. Buttler’s top-order exploits played a massive part in the 2008 champions reaching the playoffs in 2018.

The 29-year old hammered 548 runs that edition, scoring five half-centuries on the bounce with a high score of 95. Come 2020, Buttler is again likely to open the innings for Rajasthan and his strike rate of 157 while doing so could help him surpass Chris Gayle’s 175. The Somerset’s cricketer also has all the shots in the book needed to overhaul the score.

Rohit Sharma:

One of the classiest batsmen, who combines discipline with destruction, Rohit Sharma is one of the cleanest strikers of the ball. Rohit Sharma relies on timing instead of power to put the ball over the fence. With 4898 runs, the Mumbai Indians skipper is the third-highest run-getter in history.

Over the last few years, the 33-year old has established himself as a white-ball giant. While the right-handed opening batsman takes his time to get going; however, is unstoppable when he hits the stride. Rohit’s IPL strike rate is 130.82 and having not played cricket for a long time; he would be keen to send some records tumbling.

Aaron Finch:

Australia’s white-ball captain Aaron Finch also remains a contender and amongst the hardest hitting opening batsmen. While he is relatively inexperienced in IPL, Aaron Finch’s adaptability is his greatest strength and understands the nuances of T20 format. Finch will ply his trade for the Royal Challengers Bangalore this time.

It is worth noting that the 33-year old’s score of 172 is the highest in T20 internationals, eclipsing his own record of 156. Hence, Aaron Finch has the temperament and experience of playing a long inning, worthy of overhauling Chris Gayle’s 175. With the right-handed batsman certain to open the innings, the chance of Finch breaking the record only elevates.

David Warner:

David Warner perhaps remains the frontrunner to break Chris Gayle’s record-breaking 175. David Warner is not only the synonym of destruction but is also highly consistent. The southpaw did not slow down the last edition even as he made his return to competitive cricket after a long time.

Warner finished as the highest run-getter in the season even after not playing all the games. With 4706 runs in 126 games, the little dynamite is the fourth-highest run-getter in history and strikes at 142.39. The additional responsibility of captaincy could enable him to make the West Indian’s record his own.

Also Read: Bowlers Who Have Taken 600 Or More Wickets In Test Cricket