Irfan Pathan blind ranks greatest innings of all-time ahead of IPL 2026; Suresh Raina’s iconic 87 not in top 2

Former Team India all-rounder Irfan Pathan blind-ranked the five greatest individual IPL innings of all-time ahead of the 2026 edition, starting March 28 (via Star Sports Instagram handle). First on the list was Brendon McCullum’s breathtaking 75-ball 158* in the inaugural IPL game in 2008.

Playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the former New Zealand skipper took the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to the cleaners in a memorable IPL curtain raiser. Pathan placed McCullum’s extraordinary knock at No.2.

The list moved from the earliest century to one of the latest by Abhishek Sharma against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) last year. Pathan ranked the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener’s brilliant 55-ball 141 at No.5.

Chasing an improbable 246 for victory, Abhishek single-handedly willed SRH to a thrilling victory with his sublime century.

Undeniably the best knock in a losing cause, Suresh Raina’s iconic 25-ball 87 was next on the list. Chasing 227 in Qualifier 2 against PBKS, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) left-hander thrilled the fans with his whirlwind innings before being run out 13 shy of a century.

The Men in Yellow, unfortunately, lost the contest, yet Pathan ranked Raina’s knock as the third best.

At No.4 in Irfan Pathan’s ranking came another classic knock by a CSK batter, this time in a winning cause. It was Shane Watson’s scintillating 57-ball 117* in the 2018 IPL final against SRH that helped CSK chase down 179 and capture a then-third title.

RCB legend’s record knock tops Irfan Pathan’s blind-ranking

There are no prizes for guessing the top spot in Irfan Pathan’s blind ranking of the greatest IPL knocks. It was former RCB opener Chris Gayle’s other-worldly 175* off 66 balls against the now-defunct Pune Warriors in 2013.

The legendary batter smashed 17 maximums and 13 boundaries on his way to the highest-ever IPL score. Gayle reached his century off a mere 30 deliveries, which remains the IPL record.

Additionally, Gayle rubbed more salt in Pune’s wounds by picking up two wickets in the contest as RCB completed a massive 130-run victory.