Sai Sudharsan sheds rust, smashes 3rd IPL hundred to break Chris Gayle’s record against RCB

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Sai Sudharsan has one of the highest median scores in Indian Premier League (IPL) history. For those unaware of what a media score in a cricket context is, it’s the middle value in an ordered list of a batter’s scores. It’s perhaps the most accurate way of measuring consistency; it reveals much more than average or runs per innings.

Sai ‘consistent’ Sudharsan

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, the two most consistent batters in the IPL, have a median score of 28 and 29, respectively. For Sudharsan, it’s 38. This was before his hundred against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). It’s gone up now. But it shows that runs are never a talking point with Sudharsan.

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Low scores, followed by hundred

In his 4-year IPL career, no one has questioned his ability to score. That’s because, until now, he’s never had a dip. That was until IPL 2026. Sudharsan started the season with scores of 13 and 72. It was very on brand for him. In the next 4 innings, his scores were 12, 15, 22, and 0. For the first time in his career, Sudharsan was officially out of form.

But as his median score tells, he can’t be short of runs for a long period. That’s because he’s notched up his 3rd IPL hundred. He hasn’t even played 50 innings yet, but has now more centuries than Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav. But it wasn’t smooth sailing as it usually is for Sudharsan.

Scratchy to superb

He was scratchy in the beginning. He edged, missed, and mistimed. After the third over, he was just 17 (16). From there, he kicked on. Scoring 33 runs in the next 17 balls. This included taking Rasikh Salam Dar and Josh Hazlewood on. He was lucky, with edges going to the boundary, but that’s what he needed.

Post the powerplay, he identified Romario Shepherd as the weaker link and took him down. Similarly, Krunal Pandya, as a left-handed orthodox spinner, was a positive match-up, and he deposited him for sixes, including an uppercut maximum from a bouncer.

As mentioned above, luck was with him. He was dropped on 91 by Suyash Sharma, but didn’t let that affect him as he reached his hundred in 57 balls. In the process, Sudharsan broke Chris Gayle’s record and became the quickest to 2,000 runs in the IPL. Him returning to form is what Gujarat wanted, with Jos Buttler back in full flow and Shubman Gill at his consistent self as well. If the top 3 continue to fire together, another Playoffs runs seems to be guaranteed for the Titans.