The IPL 2023 has come to an end after providing wholesome entertainment to cricket fans all over the world and after seeing the TRPs, we can comfortably say that the craze of IPL is pretty high even after sixteen successful seasons. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) started the Indian Premier League in the year 2008, at that time T20 was a new format and people used to think that nobody could score a century in the shortest format but with time, cricketers made changes in their playing style and many scored centuries in the T20 format and IPL as well.
In this article, we will let you know about four overseas wicketkeeper-batters who have scored a century in the Indian Premier League:
1. Heinrich Klaasen (South African cricketer):
The South African wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen who played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2023 scored his first IPL hundred in this season in a match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Heinrich Klaasen scored 104 runs at a strike rate of 203.92 but even after that, his team lost the match as former RCB skipper Virat Kohli also scored a century and helped his team in successfully chasing the target of 187. Sunrisers Hyderabad had a nightmarish season as they ended the IPL 2023 at the bottom of the points table with just 4 wins in 14 matches.
2. Adam Gilchrist (Former Australian cricketer):
Adam Gilchrist who is undoubtedly one of the most loved Aussie cricketers of all times performed superbly in IPL not just as a player but as a leader too. It was under his leadership that the IPL team Deccan Chargers (now defunct) won the IPL 2009 and he scored his first century while playing for DC in a match which was played against Mumbai Indians. Gilchrist’s second century came against Royal Challengers Bangalore when he played for Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings).
3. Jonny Bairstow (England cricketer):
The England cricketer Jonny Bairstow is also one of the few overseas wicketkeeper-batters who have scored century in the IPL. Known for his aggressive style of batting, Jonny Bairstow scored a century for Sunrisers Hyderabad in a match which was played against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2019 and his strike rate was above 200. In that match, Jonny Bairstow and David Warner stitched a partnership of 185 runs for first wicket as they both scored a century and helped their team in winning the match by 118 runs.
4. Quinton de Kock (South African cricketer):
The former South African skipper who has the reputation of being an explosive batter has also scored 2 centuries in IPL, first one came from his bat when he played for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in 2016 and with that ton, he helped his team in winning the match against RCB. His second century came in the IPL 2022 when he played for Lucknow Super Giants in a match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
