Days after being snubbed on the IPL public sale final 12 months, Urvil Patel slammed the second-fastest hundred in T20s, reaching the landmark in 28 balls for Gujarat in opposition to Tripura in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) at Indore.
At that point, it appeared the knock might need come a bit late. But 4 months later, his efforts have lastly paid off. After being drafted in by Chennai Super Kings as an damage substitute, the 26-year-old sparkled on IPL debut, smashing an 11-ball 31 in opposition to Kolkata Knight Riders in the two-wicket win on Wednesday. His efforts earned him a spot in the document books because the Indian with the very best strike charge (281.82, minimal 10 deliveries confronted) on debut in the league.
Sixes galore
Urvil, who hit the utmost variety of sixes (29 in six video games) in SMAT final 12 months, confirmed his prowess on the massive stage on the Eden Gardens when he flicked the second ball he confronted off Vaibhav Arora into the stands. He adopted it up with two extra in opposition to Moeen Ali and one off Harshit Rana as CSK made the primary six overs rely, a rarity this season.
The Gujarat ’keeper-batter has a formidable home T20 document, scoring 1193 runs at a wholesome strike charge of 172.15 from 48 video games. Urvil got here into the match on the again of a productive home season and was the very best run-getter for Gujarat in SMAT (315 runs) and Vijay Hazare Trophy (333).
In a 12 months the place CSK has been discovered wanting in the PowerPlay — a significant motive for its early elimination — younger damage replacements like Urvil, Ayush Mhatre, and Dewald Brevis have reignited hope. Though these are early days, Super Kings have added ammunition to their batting line-up, an excellent augury for the longer term.
Published – May 08, 2025 09:02 pm IST
