IPL 2018: Rishabh Pant Cracks Biggest Century Of Season 11 vs SunRisers Hyderabad

Delhi Daredevils' power-hitter Rishabh Pant became the second youngest to score an IPL hundred and youngest to score 1000 runs in the Indian Premier League during his team's encounter against SunRisers Hyderabad at Feroz Shah Kotla on Thursday.The 20-year-old took just 56 balls to bring up his hundred. His unbeaten innings of 128 off 63 balls was studded with 15 fours and 7 towering sixes with 26 runs coming off Bhuvneshwar Kumar's last over that enabled the hosts to post a competititve score of 187/5 in 20 overs. Manish Pandey, who hammered a hundred for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2009, aged 19 years and 253 days, remains the youngest IPL centurion till date. Sanju Samson is now the third youngest. The Rajasthan Royals batsman had scored a hundred for DD last year when he was 22 years and 151 days.

Quinton de Kock (23 years and 122 days) and David Warner (23 years and 153 days) are fourth and fifth respectively in the list of youngest IPL centurions.

This was also the 50th hundred in the history of the IPL.

Incidentally, Pant's hundred is the first by an Indian this season as Chris Gayle (KXIP) and Shane Watson (CSK) are the only other centurions in IPL 2018.

In the process, Pant also overtook KL Rahul of Kings XI Punjab to take the Orange Cap.

Delhi decided to put scoreboard pressure on the opposition by deciding to bat but things did not go according to plan in the powerplay.

Shakib Al Hasan struck off consecutive balls in the fourth over to remove in-form opener Prithvi Shaw (9) and Englishman Jason Roy (11), leaving Delhi at 21 for two.

Shaw mistimed a pull off a short ball and Shikhar Dhawan latched on to it at cover.

Shakib sent back Roy the very next ball with a beauty that turned away just enough to take the edge to the wicket-keeper.

Pant released the pressure with a hat-trick of boundaries against Siddharth Kaul in the sixth over before doing the same to lead spinner Rashid Khan in the 12th over.

Delhi had crawled to 52 for three in 10 overs but Pant's power hitting quickly changed the course of the game.

He reached the 50-run mark with his trademark hit, a six over midwicket off Shakib. He got to the 100 in a similar fashion, muscling a full toss from Kaul for over midwicket.

The way Pant took on the likes of Shakib, Kaul and Bhuvenshwar Kumar was commendable.

The left-hander was also at his innovative best as he used the scoop shot over third man not once but thrice. Two of those scoops came in the final over bowled by Bhuvneshwar who proved to be the most expensive bowler for Sunrisers, leaking 51 runs in four overs. It was a rare off day for the India pacer.

The 20th over saw Pant dispatching Bhuvneshwar for three consecutive sixes, including a one-handed one that sailed over long-on.

Thanks to Pant, Delhi amassed 138 runs in the last 10 overs.

Pacer Kaul too had a forgettable outing as he conceded 48 runs off his four overs.