New Delhi: Chennai Super Kings batsman Arul Patel produced an impressive display of power hitting as he smashed a 13-ball half-century against Lucknow Supergiants in their IPL 2026 clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.With this explosive knock, Arrol equaled the record for the fastest fifty in IPL history.
His 13-ball fifty is now sitting together. Yeshsavi Jaiswal2023 against Kolkata Knight Riders as the joint fastest half-century in the tournament.
Fastest half-century in IPL history (face the balls)
13 balls – Yashvi Jaiswal (RR) vs KKR, Kolkata, 202313 balls – Arul Patel (CSK) vs LSG, Chennai, 202614 balls – KL Rahul (PBKS) vs DC, Mohali, 201814 balls – Pat Cummins (KKR) vs MI, Pune, 202214 balls – Romario Shepherd (RCB) vs CSK, Bengaluru, 2025
Who is Arul Patel? ?
Arul Patel is a 27-year-old cricketer from Gujarat who bats right-handed and also keeps wickets. Although relatively new to IPL fans, he has built a strong reputation in domestic cricket for his fearless batting and quick scoring ability. This is the first time that Arul has ended the bowling attack. During the 2024–25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he scored a T20 century in just 28 balls – the fastest by an Indian and the second fastest overall in men’s T20 cricket.He also scored a 36-ball century against Uttarakhand last season, further demonstrating his ability to dominate attacks in the shortest format.His white-ball exploits are not limited to T20s. In List-A cricket, Arrol owns a 41-ball century, the second-fastest century by an Indian in the format after Yusuf Pathan.
Arul Patel’s IPL Journey: From Unsold Player to CSK Hero
Arul was first picked up by Gujarat Titans ahead of IPL 2023 at a base price of Rs 20 lakh. However, he did not get a single chance during his tenure with the franchise and was released before the IPL 2024 auction.Despite his impressive domestic performance, Arrol surprisingly went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction as well.His fortunes changed when Chennai Super Kings signed him as a replacement for the injured Vinash Bedi during IPL 2026. CSK bought him for his base price of Rs 30 lakh, and the wicketkeeper-batsman has now announced himself on the biggest stage with a record-tying innings.
