In This Article
Sahil Chauhan holds the men’s record for the fastest century in T20I cricket, reaching three figures in 27 balls for Estonia against Cyprus on 17 June 2024. He finished unbeaten on 144 from 41 deliveries. The ICC’s official report confirms both figures: 27 measures the hundred, while 41 describes his complete innings.
The confusion starts when international, World Cup and franchise records appear under the same headline. Finn Allen’s 33-ball World Cup century belongs on the international leaderboard, but it changed a different record. The comparison below includes the 2025 and 2026 additions, preserves tied positions and explains why a higher innings strike rate does not necessarily mean a faster hundred.
Record information checked on 6 September 2026.
Fastest Men’s T20I Centuries: 35 Balls or Fewer
The table ranks leading verified T20I centuries by the deliveries needed to reach 100. The final innings column shows runs followed by total balls faced in brackets.
| Rank | Batter and Team | Balls to 100 | Final Innings | Opponent | Match Date |
| 1 | Sahil Chauhan, Estonia | 27 | 144* (41) | Cyprus | 17 June 2024 |
| 2 | Muhammad Fahad, Turkey | 29 | 120 (34) | Bulgaria | 12 July 2025 |
| 3= | Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Namibia | 33 | 101 (36) | Nepal | 27 February 2024 |
| 3= | Sikandar Raza, Zimbabwe | 33 | 133* (43) | Gambia | 23 October 2024 |
| 3= | Finn Allen, New Zealand | 33 | 100* (33) | South Africa | 4 March 2026 |
| 6 | Kushal Malla, Nepal | 34 | 137* (50) | Mongolia | 27 September 2023 |
| 7= | David Miller, South Africa | 35 | 101* (36) | Bangladesh | 29 October 2017 |
| 7= | Rohit Sharma, India | 35 | 118 (43) | Sri Lanka | 22 December 2017 |
| 7= | Sudesh Wickramasekara, Czech Republic | 35 | 104* (36) | Turkey | 30 August 2019 |
| 7= | Kushal Bhurtel, Nepal | 35 | 129 (43) | China | 31 May 2026 |
An asterisk means not out; an equals sign marks a tied rank. Tied innings appear chronologically, without treating an earlier date or higher final score as a faster century. Loftie-Eaton, Raza and Allen therefore share third place. Miller, Rohit, Wickramasekara and Bhurtel share seventh. The 35-ball cutoff keeps that entire group together instead of assigning different speed rankings to equal performances. Wickramasekara’s hundred took 35 balls, although his innings lasted 36. The ICC’s century table in its Nepal report confirms the milestone figure. This is precisely why the two ball-count columns should stay separate.
How Sahil Chauhan Reached His Century in 27 Balls
Chauhan’s record came in the second T20I of Estonia’s series against Cyprus at Happy Valley Ground in Episkopi. Cyprus made 191 for seven, setting a target of 192. Estonia completed the chase at 194 for four after 13 overs, winning by six wickets with 42 balls remaining, as recorded in the match scorecard. Batting at number four, Chauhan hit six fours and 18 sixes across his unbeaten 144. That adds up to 132 boundary runs, calculated from the scorecard. These are full-innings totals, including strokes played after his century.
The 27-ball milestone improved on Loftie-Eaton’s previous 33-ball record by six deliveries. Chauhan then continued batting for another 14 balls, so describing the performance simply as a “41-ball century” would hide its defining achievement. Half-centuries use the same milestone principle. Texora’s guide to the fastest fifties in T20 cricket separates those shorter bursts from a batter’s eventual innings total.
What Changed in the Fastest-Century List in 2025 and 2026?
Three additions changed the leading group without displacing Chauhan.
Muhammad Fahad: A 29-Ball Hundred in 2025
Turkey’s Muhammad Fahad reached his century in 29 balls against Bulgaria in Sofia on 12 July 2025. That placed him second, between Chauhan and the 33-ball group. Fahad finished with 120 from 34 balls, including 10 fours and 12 sixes. His match scorecard records Turkey’s 59-run victory, while Wisden’s fastest-hundreds list confirms the 29-ball milestone.
Finn Allen: A World Cup Record in 2026
Allen reached 100 from 33 balls against South Africa at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, in the World Cup semifinal on 4 March 2026. His unbeaten hundred helped New Zealand chase 170 and win by nine wickets. The ICC’s match coverage confirms that Allen broke Chris Gayle’s previous Men’s T20 World Cup benchmark of 47 balls. It was a tournament record and a joint-third position overall. That innings secured a place in the final; the championship outcome belongs in the wider history of Men’s T20 World Cup winners and final results.
Kushal Bhurtel: Another 35-Ball Hundred
Bhurtel joined the leading group against China in Singapore on 31 May 2026, reaching his hundred in 35 balls before finishing on 129 from 43. Wisden’s match analysis confirms the milestone and his place alongside the other 35-ball centurions. His innings included six sixes in one over, independently documented by the ICC. He had 57 from 25 balls before that over and 93 from 31 afterwards, then completed his hundred four balls later. Bhurtel’s addition gives Nepal two entries within this threshold, although Malla’s 34-ball hundred remains the quicker of the two.
T20I, T20 World Cup and IPL Records Compared
T20 is the wider format, covering recognised international, domestic and franchise matches. T20I refers specifically to Twenty20 Internationals. A World Cup record applies to a particular tournament within international cricket.
| Record Category | Record Holder | Balls to 100 | Match |
| Recognised Men’s T20 Cricket | Sahil Chauhan | 27 | Estonia vs Cyprus, 2024 |
| Men’s T20 Internationals | Sahil Chauhan | 27 | Estonia vs Cyprus, 2024 |
| Men’s T20 World Cup | Finn Allen | 33 | New Zealand vs South Africa, 2026 |
| Indian Premier League | Chris Gayle | 30 | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Pune Warriors India, 2013 |
Gayle’s hundred came during his unbeaten 175 from 66 balls, recalled in RCB’s account of the innings. His 30-ball mark remains the IPL benchmark, but an IPL innings cannot enter a T20I leaderboard. Conversely, Chauhan’s innings qualifies for both the international and wider recognised T20 categories. That is why the quickest hundred in T20 can also be a T20I record. World Cup qualifying matches require another distinction. Raza’s century against Gambia came in a regional qualifier: it counts as a T20I, but not as a century at the World Cup tournament proper. Allen’s semifinal innings qualifies for both.
How Fastest-Century Records Are Measured
A fastest-century record uses the batter’s officially recorded balls faced when their personal score first reaches at least 100. A boundary that takes a batter from 98 to 104 completes the century on that delivery. The team’s over number cannot establish the record because other batters also face deliveries. Elapsed time and the number of career innings needed to score a first hundred are different measurements.
Full-innings strike rate answers another question: how quickly did the batter score across the entire innings?
| Batter | Balls to 100 | Final Runs and Balls | Calculated Innings Strike Rate |
| Sahil Chauhan | 27 | 144 from 41 | 351.22 |
| Muhammad Fahad | 29 | 120 from 34 | 352.94 |
Texora calculations use runs divided by balls faced, multiplied by 100, rounded to two decimal places. Fahad’s complete-innings strike rate is slightly higher, yet Chauhan reached his hundred two balls sooner. Sorting these innings by strike rate would therefore produce a different order from sorting them by century speed. The same logic protects ties. A higher final score, an unbeaten finish or a bigger winning margin does not make one 33-ball hundred faster than another.
Does the Opposition Change What the Record Means?
Associate internationals count when the match has recognised T20I status. The ICC extended men’s T20I status to all its Member teams from 1 January 2019. A team does not need to play Test cricket for its qualifying T20I performances to enter the record books.
However, “by a Full Member” and “against a Full Member” describe different comparisons:
- By a Full Member Batter: Raza and Allen share the 33-ball benchmark. Zimbabwe is a Full Member, even though Raza’s innings came against Associate opposition.
- In a Match Between Full Members: Allen’s 33-ball hundred against South Africa is the benchmark. Raza’s game against Gambia falls outside this narrower group. Wisden’s comparison makes this distinction explicit.
For a comparison restricted to matches between Test-playing nations, Allen is therefore the relevant answer. This qualification should appear beside the record claim, rather than being left for readers to infer. Opposition and match situation still matter when evaluating an innings. A World Cup semifinal, a bilateral chase and a regional qualifier present different competitive circumstances. Readers can give extra weight to knockout pressure or the bowling attack faced, but that changes their assessment of the achievement, not the recorded balls to 100.
The Texora Verdict
Chauhan’s 27-ball hundred remains the benchmark for the fastest century in men’s T20Is. To interpret the next record headline accurately, check the match category, the balls taken to reach 100 and any tied performances. Those details establish the record; opposition and match pressure help explain its cricketing significance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Has Scored the Fastest T20I Century for India?
Rohit Sharma holds India’s men’s T20I record with a 35-ball hundred against Sri Lanka in Indore on 22 December 2017. He finished with 118 from 43 balls, an innings documented in the ICC’s review of his records. The national category covers performances representing India, rather than every T20 hundred scored by an Indian player.
What Is Virat Kohli’s Fastest Century in T20I Cricket?
Virat Kohli reached his T20I hundred in 53 balls against Afghanistan in Dubai on 8 September 2022. He finished unbeaten on 122 from 61 deliveries in the Asia Cup, according to the ICC’s match report. His IPL centuries belong to a separate competition record.
Who Holds Pakistan’s Fastest T20I Century Record?
Hasan Nawaz holds Pakistan’s men’s record with a 44-ball century against New Zealand on 21 March 2025, finishing unbeaten on 105 from 45 balls. He surpassed Babar Azam’s 49-ball hundred against South Africa in 2021, as confirmed in the ICC’s record announcement.
Who Holds the Fastest Century Record in Women’s T20Is?
Deandra Dottin holds the women’s T20I record at 38 balls. She reached the milestone for West Indies against South Africa in the 2010 Women’s World T20, and the ICC’s 2026 women’s record table lists her first.
Why Does George Munsey’s 25-Ball Hundred Not Count?
Munsey’s hundred came for Gloucestershire’s second XI against Bath CC in 2019. The ICC describes the fixture as an unofficial Twenty20 game, so the innings does not qualify for either the T20I leaderboard or recognised T20 records.
Do T10 Centuries Count Towards T20I Records?
No. A match organised as T10 belongs to a different format, so its centuries cannot be added to T20I records. A player’s international career does not change the statistical classification of the match being played.