by The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the most exciting cricket tournament in the world. Fans love watching big sixes, quick runs, and thrilling finishes.
In IPL, batsmen usually score fast. They hit boundaries and run hard between wickets. But sometimes, batsmen play very slowly.
Today, we’re going to talk about the Slowest 50 in IPL history. These are innings where batsmen took a long time to score just 50 runs.
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Top 10 Slowest 50 in IPL History
Let’s discover which players hold the record for the Slowest Fifties in IPL!
What Does Slowest 50 Mean in Cricket?
Before we jump into the list, let’s understand what “slowest fifty” means.
In cricket, a fifty means scoring 50 runs. To measure how fast or slow a batsman scores, we count the number of balls they face.
For example:
- If a batsman scores 50 runs in 20 balls, that’s super fast!
- If a batsman scores 50 runs in 50 balls, that’s very slow for T20 cricket.
In IPL (which is T20 cricket), batsmen usually score 50 runs in 25-35 balls. Anything above 45 balls is considered very slow.
Why Are Slow Fifties Rare in IPL?
IPL is all about fast cricket. Each team gets only 20 overs (120 balls) to score runs.
So batsmen try to score quickly. They can’t waste time playing slowly.
That’s why the Slowest 50 in IPL records are so rare and interesting!
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Top 10 Slowest 50 in IPL History
Here’s the complete list of batters with slowest fifties in IPL history:
| Player | Balls Taken to 50 | Against | Team | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP Duminy | 55 | Kings XI Punjab | Mumbai Indians | Durban | 29 Apr 2009 |
| Parthiv Patel | 53 | Kings XI Punjab | Chennai Super Kings | Chennai | 21 Mar 2010 |
| Brendon McCullum | 52 | Mumbai Indians | Kolkata Knight Riders | Eden Gardens | 19 Apr 2010 |
| Robin Uthappa | 52 | Delhi Daredevils | Pune Warriors | Pune | 24 Apr 2012 |
| Matthew Hayden | 51 | Mumbai Indians | Chennai Super Kings | Gqeberha | 16 May 2009 |
| Jacques Kallis | 51 | Delhi Daredevils | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Johannesburg | 19 May 2009 |
| Gautam Gambhir | 51 | Chennai Super Kings | Delhi Daredevils | Chennai | 15 Apr 2010 |
| Vijay Shankar | 51 | Rajasthan Royals | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Dubai (DICS) | 22 Oct 2020 |
| Murali Vijay | 50 | Kings XI Punjab | Chennai Super Kings | Mohali | 10 Apr 2013 |
| David Warner | 50 | Chennai Super Kings | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Delhi | 28 Apr 2021 |
Now let’s talk about each innings in detail!
Detailed Breakdown of Top 10 Slowest Fifties in IPL
1. JP Duminy – 55 Balls (2009)
JP Duminy holds the record for the Slowest 50 in IPL history!
Match Details:
- Team: Mumbai Indians
- Against: Kings XI Punjab
- Venue: Durban
- Date: 29 April 2009
What Happened: The Mumbai Indians were chasing a small target of just 120 runs. It should have been an easy win.
But JP Duminy played extremely slowly. He scored 59 runs in 63 balls. His strike rate was only 93.65 – the lowest ever for a 50+ score in IPL!
Because of his slow batting, the Mumbai Indians could only score 116 runs and lost the match. They bottled an easy chase.
This is why Duminy’s innings is remembered as one of the worst in IPL history.
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2. Parthiv Patel – 53 Balls (2010)
Parthiv Patel comes second on this list with a 53-ball fifty.
Match Details:
- Team: Chennai Super Kings
- Against: Kings XI Punjab
- Venue: Chennai
- Date: 21 March 2010
What Happened: Parthiv was usually a quick scorer. But in this match, he struggled to score freely.
The Chennai pitch was slow and difficult to bat on. Parthiv kept defending and playing carefully.
He finally reached his fifty in 53 balls. Though CSK won the match, Parthiv’s innings was painfully slow for T20 cricket.
3. Brendon McCullum – 52 Balls (2010)
Brendon McCullum is known for explosive batting. In fact, he scored the very first IPL century ever!
But in 2010, he had a rare slow innings.
Match Details:
- Team: Kolkata Knight Riders
- Against: Mumbai Indians
- Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
- Date: 19 April 2010
What Happened: McCullum took 52 balls to score his fifty. This was very unusual for him.
The pitch at Eden Gardens was tough for batting that day. The ball wasn’t coming onto the bat nicely.
McCullum tried his best but couldn’t score quickly. It shows that even great batsmen can have slow days.
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4. Robin Uthappa – 52 Balls (2012)
Robin Uthappa also took 52 balls to reach fifty, matching McCullum’s record.
Match Details:
- Team: Pune Warriors
- Against: Delhi Daredevils
- Venue: Pune
- Date: 24 April 2012
What Happened: Pune Warriors were not a strong team in the IPL. They often struggled to score big totals.
Uthappa was their main batsman. He had to play carefully because wickets were falling at the other end.
He took 52 balls to reach his fifty. Though he tried to build the innings, his slow batting hurt the team’s total score.
5. Matthew Hayden – 51 Balls (2009)
Matthew Hayden was one of the most aggressive batsmen in cricket history.
But even he had a slow fifty in IPL!
Match Details:
- Team: Chennai Super Kings
- Against: Mumbai Indians
- Venue: Gqeberha (South Africa)
- Date: 16 May 2009
What Happened: The 2009 IPL was played in South Africa due to security reasons.
Hayden took 51 balls to score fifty. The South African pitches were different, and Hayden found it hard to score quickly.
Despite the slow start, Hayden was still a champion player for CSK.
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6. Jacques Kallis – 51 Balls (2009)
Jacques Kallis was a legendary all-rounder who played for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Match Details:
- Team: Royal Challengers Bangalore
- Against: Delhi Daredevils
- Venue: Johannesburg
- Date: 19 May 2009
What Happened: Kallis was known for playing Test cricket style – patient and careful.
In this match, he took 51 balls to score fifty. For T20 cricket, this was very slow.
Kallis was a great player, but his batting style didn’t always suit T20 cricket perfectly.
7. Gautam Gambhir – 51 Balls (2010)
Gautam Gambhir was the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders and a fantastic batsman.
Match Details:
- Team: Delhi Daredevils
- Against: Chennai Super Kings
- Venue: Chennai
- Date: 15 April 2010
What Happened: Gambhir took 51 balls to reach his fifty against CSK.
The Chennai pitch was spinning a lot. CSK had great spinners who made it tough to score.
Gambhir played carefully and built his innings slowly. Sometimes slow batting is necessary when conditions are tough.
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8. Vijay Shankar – 51 Balls (2020)
Vijay Shankar is an Indian all-rounder who played for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Match Details:
- Team: Sunrisers Hyderabad
- Against: Rajasthan Royals
- Venue: Dubai (DICS)
- Date: 22 October 2020
What Happened: The 2020 IPL was played in the UAE due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Vijay Shankar took 51 balls to score fifty. The Dubai pitch was slow and difficult.
SRH were struggling in that season, and Shankar had to play carefully to steady the innings.
9. Murali Vijay – 50 Balls (2013)
Murali Vijay was an opening batsman for the Chennai Super Kings.
Match Details:
- Team: Chennai Super Kings
- Against: Kings XI Punjab
- Venue: Mohali
- Date: 10 April 2013
What Happened: Vijay took exactly 50 balls to reach his fifty.
In T20 cricket, taking 50 balls means you’re scoring at just run-a-ball. That’s very slow!
Vijay was a Test cricket specialist, so his natural game was more defensive.
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10. David Warner – 50 Balls (2021)
David Warner is usually one of the fastest scorers in IPL. He’s won the Orange Cap (highest run-scorer award) multiple times.
But in 2021, he had a rare slow innings.
Match Details:
- Team: Sunrisers Hyderabad
- Against: Chennai Super Kings
- Venue: Delhi
- Date: 28 April 2021
What Happened: Warner took 50 balls to score his fifty. This was very unusual for him.
The pitch in Delhi was slow. CSK bowlers bowled very well and didn’t give Warner room to hit freely.
After this season, Warner had problems with SRH management and was even dropped from the team.
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Why Slow Fifties Happen in T20 Cricket?
You might wonder: “If IPL is about fast cricket, why do batsmen play slowly sometimes?”
Here are the main reasons:
1. Slow Pitch
- Sometimes the cricket pitch is slow and sticky.
- The ball doesn’t come nicely onto the bat.
- Batsmen find it hard to hit boundaries.
2. Good Bowling
- When bowlers bowl very well, batsmen struggle.
- Spinners especially make it difficult to score on slow pitches.
3. Pressure Situations
- If wickets are falling, a batsman might play carefully.
- They try to stay at the crease rather than scoring quickly.
4. Wrong Game Plan
- Sometimes batsmen misjudge the situation.
- They play too carefully when they should attack.
5. Difficult Conditions
- Rain, dew, or wind can make batting tough.
- Batsmen have to adjust their game.
Records and Interesting Facts About the Slowest Fifties in IPL
Here are some cool facts about the Slowest Fifties in IPL:
- Fact 1: JP Duminy’s 93.65 strike rate is the lowest ever for any 50+ score in IPL history!
- Fact 2: Most slow fifties happened in 2009 and 2010. Cricket has become faster since then.
- Fact 3: Chennai Super Kings players appear three times in this list (Hayden, Parthiv, Murali Vijay).
- Fact 4: Many of these slow innings happened in South Africa during the 2009 IPL.
- Fact 5: Even legendary batsmen like Brendon McCullum, Matthew Hayden, and David Warner have slow fifties.
- Fact 6: Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) was the opponent in 3 out of 10 slowest fifties!
- Fact 7: Only one slow fifty happened after 2013 (Vijay Shankar in 2020 and Warner in 2021).
Comparison: Slowest vs Fastest 50s in IPL
Let’s compare the Slowest 50 in IPL with the fastest ones!
| Type | Player | Balls | Year | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slowest | JP Duminy | 55 balls | 2009 | Mumbai Indians |
| Fastest | Yashasvi Jaiswal | 13 balls | 2023 | Rajasthan Royals |
The Difference:
- JP Duminy took 55 balls to score 50 runs
- Yashasvi Jaiswal took only 13 balls to score 50 runs
- That’s a difference of 42 balls!
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s Record: In 2023, Yashasvi Jaiswal scored the fastest fifty in IPL history. He smashed Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers and reached fifty in just 13 balls!
He hit sixes and fours from ball one. He didn’t waste a single delivery. This is the opposite of slow batting!
Bonus Fact – Slowest Centuries: Manish Pandey and Virat Kohli both scored the slowest centuries in IPL. Both took 67 balls to reach 100 runs.
- Manish Pandey: For RCB against Deccan Chargers in 2009
- Virat Kohli: For RCB against Rajasthan Royals in 2024
What Can We Learn From Slowest Fifties?
The list of batters with slowest fifties teaches us important lessons:
Lesson 1: Play According to the Situation
- If the pitch is slow, you can’t always play fast.
- Smart batsmen adjust their game.
Lesson 2: Don’t Judge Too Quickly
- Even great players have bad days.
- One slow innings doesn’t make someone a bad batsman.
Lesson 3: T20 Cricket Has Changed
- Most slow fifties happened 10-15 years ago.
- Modern cricket is much faster now.
- Batsmen are better trained to score quickly.
Lesson 4: Team Needs Matter
- Sometimes playing slowly is the right choice.
- If wickets are falling, staying at the crease is important.
Conclusion:
So there you have it – the complete list of Top 10 Slowest 50 in IPL history!
JP Duminy holds the record with a 55-ball fifty in 2009. Parthiv Patel, Brendon McCullum, and Robin Uthappa follow close behind.
These slowest fifties in IPL remind us that even the best batsmen can struggle sometimes.
Cricket is not always about big hitting – sometimes you need patience too.
However, modern IPL cricket is much faster. Players are fitter, pitches are better, and batting has become more aggressive.
It’s unlikely we’ll see such slow fifties again in the future. Today’s batsmen score fifties in 20-30 balls regularly!
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