On Thursday, Australia legend Adam Gilchrist said he wants the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to allow the Indian cricketers to take part in T20 leagues outside the country. The BCCI, presently, does not allow Indian men players to participate in overseas T20 leagues like Australia's Big Bash League to maintain the exclusivity of IPL.

Also Read: KFC T20 Max: IPL Stars Chetan Sakariya and Mukesh Choudhary set to play

"It will be wonderful (if the Indian players are allowed to play in overseas T20 leagues), I personally feel that it won't diminish the IPL, it will only grow them as a brand. If they (Indian players) can play in Australia or South Africa."

Adam Gilchrist told the reporters

"But the challenge is we are all playing our domestic seasons at the same time, so that is a hard thing, isn't it?" he added.

Gilchrist's suggestion came after a day he questioned the growing dominance of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises in world cricket. However, the three-time World Cup winner maintained he was not against the most world's most popular T20 league.

"I'm not criticizing the IPL, but why won't Indian players come and play in the Big Bash League? I've never had an open and honest answer: Why are some leagues accessing every player in the world? No Indian player plays in any other T20 league. I am not saying in a provocative sense but is that a fair question?" Gilchrist asked.

"I really want to highlight (that the) six seasons (I played in the IPL) I loved it. It was a great experience. It is the premier T20 competition in the world, but it is important to allow other boards and countries to prosper as well," he added.

"Need to be patient with Rishabh Pant": Adam Gilchrist

Read Also: Rishabh Pant: Highest Score by Visiting Wk batsman on England Soil

Gilchrist once again praised India's star wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant and urged the Indian board to be patient with him when things go awry.

"He (Pant) is one of the most exciting cricketers to watch, I think he just lights up a stage and makes an electric atmosphere when he is playing, that is wonderful."

Gilchrist said

"The BCCI, the management, and the selectors will just need to be patient with him. A few innings if he doesn't score they shouldn't be too harsh on him, because you don't want to suppress the natural flair," he added.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian men's cricket team's schedule for the upcoming home series against West Indies and South Africa. The men in blue will play a two-match test series against the West Indies to start the 2025-26 season, followed by an all-format series against South Africa. 

The West Indies series will start with the test match, starting from 2nd October 2025 in Ahmedabad. Meanwhile, the second and final test match of the series will be played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, starting from 10th October. 

After the West Indies series, the focus will be shifted towards the all-format home series against the strong Proteas side. The first test match of the series will be played in New Delhi from 14th November. Guwahati will host its first-ever test match, as the test series is set to end there from 22nd November. 

The three-match ODI series will be played in Ranchi, Raipur, and Vizag. On the other hand, the five-match T20I series will be played in Cuttack, New Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Lucknow and Ahmedabad. 

Here is the full schedule for the home series against West Indies and South Africa

West Indies Tour of India 2025

South Africa Tour of India 2025

Centuries in T20 cricket do not come that often. When you are playing at the level of Indian Premier League, against some of the best bowlers in world cricket, it becomes tougher. But there are some batters who not only scored an IPL century but did it at a very young age. Today, we will bring you the IPL records of the 5 youngest centurions in IPL history.

Here is a list of the 5 youngest centurions in IPL.

Manish Pandey

At the age of only 19 years and 253 days, the veteran Indian cricketer Manish Pandey became the youngest centurion in IPL. Playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore, he scored an unbeaten 114* on 21 May 2009 against the Deccan Chargers in IPL 2009. The result of the match was in the favour of Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Also, he holds the IPL record of scoring the first ton as an Indian cricketer in IPL history.

Read also: IPL records: IPL captains to score centuries

Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant is the second-youngest centurion in IPL. On 10th May 2018, the former captain of Delhi Capitals scored an unbeatable knock of 128* in just 63 balls at the age of 20 years and 218 days.

The match was held in Feroz Shah Kotla Ground against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Even after performing so well and contributing a huge amount of runs for the team, Delhi lost the match.

Devdutt Padikkal

In the first phase of IPL hosted in India, only 3 cricketers scored a century, and Devdutt Padikkal was one of them. At the age of 20 years and 289 days, Devdutt scored 101* runs in just 52 balls against the Rajasthan Royals. Playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore, the 21-year lad showed exceptional performance on 22nd April 2021 and also won the match for his team.

He achieved this memorable knock while playing with the captain of the team, Virat Kohli and displayed such exhilarating batting. Devdutt Padikkal, along with Kohli clearly destroyed the Rajasthan Royals' bowling lineup and won the match.

Read also: IPL Records: 13 players who have played in every season of IPL from 2008

Yashasvi Jaiswal

At 21 years and 123 days, Yashasvi Jaiswal became the Rajasthan Royals’ youngest centurion in IPL and also equalled the highest individual score by a Royals player.

Jaiswal’s whirlwind 124 off 62 balls against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in IPL 2023 is arguably his best knock. The southpaw’s innings consisted of 16 fours and eight sixes, a total of 112 runs out of 124 scored in boundaries. His 124 is the highest tally in a single inning by an uncapped player in the IPL to date.

Jaiswal’s one-man show sent the bowlers on a leather hunt, but the Royals could not overpower the Mumbai Indians that night as they lost the match by six wickets.

Sanju Samson

The present captain of Rajasthan Royals, Sanju Samson is the fourth-youngest centurion in IPL. In the 2017 IPL, he was playing for the Delhi Daredevils franchise. At the age of only 22 years and 151 days, he demolished the bowling lineup of Rising Pune Supergiant and scored 102 runs off 63 balls on 11 April 2017. 

Lastly, Delhi Daredevils defeated Rising Pune Supergiants hosted in MCA Cricket Ground, Pune.

In a T20 tournament like IPL, it is important for every team to have a quality set of players who can score runs at a fast pace. Particularly, this is most required in the death overs when the team is looking to score quick runs. These big hitters play a crucial role in the campaign of all the teams in each IPL season.

One of the most basic criteria for judging a batter for his fast scoring is his strike rate.

In this particular article, we will be discussing the IPL facts about 10 batters who have registered the highest strike rate in the cash rich league. These include the players who have scored a minimum of 2000 runs in the tournament history.

Also Read: Best Strike Rate in IPL (Minimum 1000 Runs)

IPL Facts | Highest Strike Rate in IPL History

10. Suryakumar Yadav | 145.32

The Indian Cricket Team T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav's success on the international stage is built on the foundation of his IPL career, particularly his stint with the Mumbai Indians (MI), where he made his reputation as a versatile and reliable middle-order batter. 

Through his 150 IPL matches, SKY has accumulated 3594 runs while maintaining an outstanding strike rate reaching 145.32. His significant fifty and two double hundred scores have consistently helped Mumbai Indians during crucial moments.

9. Hardik Pandya | 145.61

Hardik Pandya, the Indian all-rounder and Mumbai Indians (MI) captain holds the 9th position in this list. In his IPL career of 137 matches, Pandya has scored a total of 2,525 runs with 10 half-centuries. His strike-rate reads 145.61.

Hardik has also contributed to his team's bowling department by taking 64 wickets with an economy rate of 9.09.

Besides representing MI, Pandya also led Gujarat Titans to the title in their maiden IPL season (2022). He returned the MI setup following the 2023 season, in a record all-cash trade.

8. Kieron Pollard | 147.32

Mumbai Indians legend Kieron Pollard holds the 8th position in this list. Known for striking the ball hard, Pollard was one of the tournament’s finest power hitters.

Since his debut in 2010, Pollard competed in 189 matches while scoring 3412 runs. He managed to put up these numbers at an impressive strike rate of 147.32 with 16 half-centuries.

Pollard was one of Mumbai's batting mainstays throughout his career. His best performances for them came in 2013, where he scored 420 runs in the season, and in 2015, where he smashed 419 runs. Both were seasons where Mumbai lifted the trophy as well.

7. Jos Buttler | 147.92

Jos Buttler holds the seventh position in this list. He has been a consistent performer for Rajasthan Royals ever since he signed for the team before the Indian Premier League 2018 season.

Before joining the Royals, Buttler represented Mumbai Indians in the 2016 and 2017 seasons and while he fared decently with them, it was after joining the Royals that the Englishman truly hit his stride in the IPL.

Buttler scored 3582 runs in 107 games at an average of 38.10 and a strike rate of 147.92. His first season with the Royals saw him score 548 runs at an average of 54.80 and strike rate of 155.24. The tally included five half-centuries.

6. Rishabh Pant | 148.93

Rishabh Pant, who made his IPL debut in 2016, has played 111 matches in the Indian Premier League so far scoring 3284 runs with an average of 35.31 and strike rate of 148.93. He has one century and 18 half-centuries to his name.

Pant joined the Delhi Capitals in 2016 after he performed exceptionally in the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, where India finished as the runners-up under Ishan Kishan’s leadership. Pant was a teenager then and from there on he did not look back.

During the 2018 Indian Premier League, Rishabh Pant scored an unbeaten 128 from 63 balls for Delhi Capitals in IPL. It is Pant's highest-ever individual score in IPL.  

5. Chris Gayle | 148.96

Chris Gayle has been the most destructive batter in the T20 set-up. Gayle is the fifth-highest batter with best strike rate in IPL (minimum 2000 runs).

In a career spanning from 2009-2021, the left-handed batsman has amassed 4,965 runs from 142 matches at an incredible average of 39.72. He owns a strike rate of 148.96.

Gayle scored 193 runs in ten games in IPL 2021.

Also Read: IPL Facts: Who was hit the most sixes in IPL History? Top 10 list

4. AB de Villiers | 151.68

AB de Villiers had a 13-year-long career in the IPL where he played for two teams, namely Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

He's counted among one of the greatest players to have played in the tournament, being the fourth-highest batter with best strike rate in IPL.

de Villiers scored 5162 runs in his IPL career from 184 matches (170 innings) at an average of 39.70 and a strike rate of 151.68 with three hundreds and 40 fifties.

3. Virender Sehwag | 155.44

The cricket community is aware of what Virender Sehwag has achieved in his career. He was one of the best openers India ever had. But in the IPL, he had a different aura. 

Sehwag played for teams like Delhi Daredevils (DD) and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and scored 2728 runs in 104 games. Indeed, he has also slammed a century in the tournament. Interestingly, his strike rate in the league is 155.44.

2. Glenn Maxwell | 156.73

The second name in this list is Glenn Maxwell in terms of keeping the highest strike rate in the IPL.

Maxwell began his IPL journey with Delhi Daredevils in 2012. The Australian all-rounder then represented Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab, before landing with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

The 36-year-old has turned out in 134 IPL matches, scoring 2771 runs at a strike rate of 156.73. He has also picked 37 wickets at an economy rate of 8.28.

1. Andre Russell | 174.92

Andre Russell has the highest strike rate in IPL for a batter with minimum 2000 runs. His figures are much more impressive considering his long career with KKR and the innings he has played. 

Playing 127 IPL matches, Russell has scored 2484 runs at a commendable strike rate of 174.92. 

He has eleven half-centuries with a high score of 88 not out in the IPL. Russell has many times won games for KKR on his own in very difficult situations.

India's performance in the ICC events has been mixed in recent years. The title win over South Africa in the T20 World Cup 2024 ended India’s 11-year-long ICC title drought after it last won a global tournament back in 2013 - the ICC Champions Trophy.

Their latest triumph came via Champions Trophy 2025, as they defeated New Zealand by four wickets in Dubai in the final. It was the second consecutive ICC trophy for India under Rohit Sharma's captaincy.

So far, India have collected 7 ICC trophies including two 50 over World Cups, three Champions Trophy, and two T20 World Cups in 2007 and 2024.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has won 3 ICC events as a captain and Rohit Sharma has 2 in those 7 ICC trophies that India won so far. In this article, SportzPoint will give you  details on India's performances in every ICC tournaments so far.

ICC Cricket World Cup (1975 - 2023):

The International Cricket Council (ICC) started the ODI World Cup back in the year 1975. From then, ICC organized the tournament a total of 13 times. Australia are the most successful in the format as they won 6 titles so far.

India won their first World Cup under Kapil Dev back in 1983 and next under Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2011. With 2 titles India are the second most successful team alongside West Indies in the 50 overs format after Australia. 

Read Also: Most ICC Trophy wins by any team

Indian Men's Cricket team also lost two ODI World Cup finals, one under Sourav Ganguly in 2003 and another one under Rohit Sharma in 2023. Here is how India performed in the each of the 13 editions of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

India's performance in every ICC Cricket World Cup

ICC Champions Trophy (1998 - 2025):

ICC started a new tournament of the 50 overs format in 1998 called the Champions Trophy. It was also referred as a "Mini World Cup". Till 2006 the Champion's Trophy was held every two years. After that, it continues with a gap of 4 years from 2009.

In 2003, India reached the Finals of the tournament along with Sri Lanka. As the match got washed out and India were declared joint winners.

However, India finally won the ICC Champions Trophy under MS Dhoni in 2013 after defeating England by 5 runs.

In 2025, India defeated New Zealand by four wickets in Dubai to lift the trophy for the third time. It was the second consecutive ICC trophy for India under Rohit Sharma's captaincy.

Let's take a look at India's performance in the tournament so far.

Read Also | ICC Men's Champions trophy winners list

India's performance in Champions Trophy so far

ICC T20 World Cup (2007 - 2024):

International Cricket Council introduced a new format marquee tournament in 2007 as T20 Cricket started to grow globally. ICC started the T20 World Cup in the year 2007. India defeated their arch-rival Pakistan in the final that year and won the inaugural T20 World Cup under MS Dhoni.

Read Also: India's performance in every T20 World Cup 

Since then, the Indian cricket team became runners-up in 2014 and then finally lifted the trophy again in 2024 under Rohit Sharma.

India's performance in every T20 World Cup

ICC World Test Championship (2019-2025):

ICC World Test Championship started in the year 2019 as New Zealand won the inaugural WTC after defeating India in the ICC World Test Championship 2021 Final.

India once again qualified for the Test Championship final in 2023 and this time, it was Australia who challenged them. India bottled their chance to win an ICC trophy after waiting for a decade and lost the match by a huge margin of 209 runs. 

In 2023-25 World Test Championship, India failed to qualify for the final.

India's performance in every WTC

The International Cricket Council (ICC) conducts different cricket events and tournaments throughout the year. ICC tournaments are the biggest platforms in the game of cricket, where the top teams contest against each other for championship podiums.

Contributing to the team on a big stage like this will always be remembered for a long time. The ODI World Cup is conducted once every four years, whereas the Men's T20 World Cup is played every two years. The ICC Champions Trophy is where only the top 8 teams compete in each finals tournament.

Last but not least, the World Test Championship is played over two years. This article thoroughly talks about the men's cricketing teams that have won ICC trophies at some point in time. Let's take a look at the teams with the most ICC Trophies.

Read Also: Rohit Sharma in ICC knockout games

Australia | 10

Australia's sheer dominance over other cricketing teams is nothing new. For decades, Australia has been executing out-of-ordinary performances and winning trophies for the country. Out of all the cricketing countries, Australia has the most ICC trophies.

Till now the Aussies won 10 ICC trophies. Australia is the only team to win 6 ICC World Cups. The most successful team in the Cricket World Cup clinched the trophy in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015, and 2023. Interestingly Australia made a record of being the only team to win the trophy in all the countries that hosted the World Cup.

Australia won the ICC Champions Trophy twice in 2006 and 2009 against West Indies and New Zealand respectively. Lastly, Australia lifted their first-ever ICC T20 World Cup trophy after defeating New Zealand in the 2021 T20 World Cup. They claimed the ICC World Test Championship after defeating India at the Oval by a huge margin of 209 runs.

Read also: Top 8 Wicket-takers of T20 World Cup 2021

India | 7

India sits in the second position on this prestigious list of most ICC Trophies by any team. India won their first-ever ICC World Cup in 1983 under the captaincy of Kapil Dev. Later again 28 years, the men in blue won the World Cup for the second time under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2011.

The Indian men's cricket team also reached the semifinals four times in 1987, 1996, 2015, and 2019. Meantime, they lost in two finals in 2003 and 2023.

The men in blue won the Champions Trophy thrice. First, in 2002, both the finalists India and Sri Lanka were declared the co-champions of the 2002 Champions Trophy. In the 2013 edition, India defeated England by 5 runs and won the Champions Trophy for the second time in Birmingham. Their latest triumph came via Champions Trophy 2025, as they defeated New Zealand by four wickets in Dubai in the final.

Lastly, India won the inaugural edition of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007 after defeating Pakistan in Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. In the 2024 T20 World Cup, India defeated  South Africa by 7 runs to lift the trophy for the second time.

Read also: India's performance in every ICC tournament

West Indies | 5

Read also: T20 World Cup 2021: Man of the Series, highest wicket-taker, and highest run-getter

Next on this list is West Indies with a total of 5 ICC trophies. The first-ever ICC World Cup final was won by West Indies in 1975. West Indies once again continued their reign in the next edition of the World Cup as well, in 1979. The Caribbean team also won the Champions Trophy in 2004. Lastly, West Indies became the winner of the ICC T20 World Cup twice; once against Sri Lanka in 2012 and the other time against England in 2016.

England | 3

Till 2010, the England team has not had any ICC Tournament. But, it was in 2010, when they won their first ICC T20 World Cup against arch-rival Australia. Craig Kieswetter guided them home in the final for their first-ever ICC Trophy. Post that, they have been a phenomenal white-ball team and won two ICC World Cups since then.

In 2019, they won their first ICC Men's ODI World Cup as Ben Stokes made all the difference in the final against England in a match where boundary count helped England to win the World Cup.

England's latest ICC Trophy triumph came under Jos Buttler as they became the first-ever team in Cricket history to hold the ODI and T20 World Cup at the same time. Jos Buttler and company won the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 as Sam Curran won the player of the tournament after taking 13 wickets with the ball. Curran also was the player of the match in the final as well.

Pakistan | 3

Pakistan sits in the fourth position on the list of most ICC Trophy wins by any team with 3 ICC trophies. The first-ever ICC trophy won by Pakistan was during the 1992 cricket World Cup. Pakistan defeated England in the final and won by 22 runs.

The next ICC trophy won by Pakistan was in the 2009 T20 World Cup where they beat Sri Lanka in the final and won the title by 8 wickets. The most recent and last ICC win of Pakistan is the 2017 Champions Trophy where they defeated India by 180 runs.

Read also: "No one is more disappointed than me": Hasan Ali after T20 World Cup 2021 exit

Sri Lanka | 3

Read also: ICC Hall of fame: Shaun Pollock, Mahela Jayawardene and Janette Britti get inducted

With 3 ICC trophies, Sri Lanka sits in 5th position on this list. Sri Lanka won their first-ever ICC World Cup in 1996 where they played against Australia in the final hosted in Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. They went ahead to win their next ICC trophy in the 2002 Champions Trophy. The winner of the tournament is actually both India and Sri Lanka as both the finalist teams were declared as co-champions.

The last time Sri Lanka won an ICC Trophy was when they defeated India in the 2014 T20 World Cup hosted in Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium Dhaka.

New Zealand | 2

The New Zealand cricket team has won a total of 2 ICC trophies since they started competing in tournaments conducted by ICC. The Kiwis won their first-ever ICC Trophy in the 2000 Champions Trophy. Nairobi hosted the final of New Zealand vs India where New Zealand won the match by 4 wickets.

The next ICC Trophy won by the Kiwis was the ICC World Test Championship. Once again, New Zealand played against India in the final of an ICC event and clinched the trophy in the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship final.

Read also: Winners list of last 10 ICC Tournaments

South Africa | 1

With a team of talented and world-renowned cricketers, South Africa won only one ICC trophy throughout its entire history. In the 1998 ICC Champions Trophy hosted in Bangladesh, South Africa beat West Indies in the final and won the title. Jacques Kallis was exceptional and contributed the most to the team reaching and winning the final and was awarded the player of the tournament. He hit a century and picked up a five-wicket haul as well.

Note: The stats include shared trophies. The article was first written by Shreya Ghosh and then got edited by Abishek Goswami.