Top 10 Fastest Balls in IPL History: Revised

Former Australian speedster Shaun Tait leads the list of the top 10 fastest balls in IPL history. Playing for the Rajasthan Royals side back in 2011, Tait delivered a thunderbolt of 157.71 kmph that still stands as the fastest ball in IPL history.

Below we list the top 10 fastest deliveries bowled in the Indian Premier League and rank it in descending order. While overseas bowlers take the major chunk of the list, Umran Malik is the only Indian.

Shaun Tait - 157.71 kmph

The player holding the record of bowling the highest speed ball in IPL history is Shaun Tait, who clocked a 157.71 kmph ball to Aaron Finch, who was playing for Delhi Daredevils at IPL 2011. Had the Australian speedster’s career not been plagued with injuries, Tait could easily have been one of the most dangerous bowlers in world cricket. He could play only 21 games in the IPL, where he took 23 wickets while donning the Rajasthan Royals jersey.

Lockie Ferguson - 157.3 kmph

Well-known for his express speed and lethal bouncers, Lockie Ferguson has bowled the second-highest speed ball in IPL, while playing for Gujarat Titans. Rajasthan Royals’ Jos Buttler was facing the New Zealand bowler in the knockout phases of IPL 2022 when Ferguson unleashed a 157.3 kmph delivery. He has played for multiple IPL franchises since making his debut in 2017 and has taken 37 wickets in 38 matches so far.

Umran Malik - 157 kmph, 156 kmph, 154.8 kmph

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Umran Malik has bowled the fastest ball by an Indian bowler in IPL when he mustered up a vicious 157 kmph speed ball at Delhi Capitals’ Rovman Powell in IPL 2022. One of the recent finds by SRH from the domestic circuit, Malik can be the answer to India’s fast-bowling woes. Having played 25 IPL matches so far, across three seasons, Malik has taken 28 wickets already and has earned with national call-up as well.

The fast bowler from Kashmir has also bowled the fifth and the seventh fastest deliveries in IPL history. IPL 2022 was his breakout season in the celebrated T20 tournament as Malik would ball three of the fastest deliveries of his IPL career during this campaign. All of them came against Delhi Capitals in one game. If Malik’s first ball was 157 kmph, he came up with 156 and 154.8 kmph deliveries in his quota of four overs.

Anrich Nortje - 156.22 kmph, 155.1 kmph, 154.7 kmph

Like Umran Malik, South Africa’s Anrich Nortje has also featured thrice on this elite list. In the past three seasons, he kept hovering between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders, but all his searing deliveries came while playing for the Delhi franchise in IPL 2020.

Nortje bowled IPL’s fourth fastest delivery while playing for DC when he bowled at Rajasthan’s Jos Buttler with a speed of 156.22 kmph. Nortje’s second-fastest ball in IPL, which is sixth on the list, is 155.1 kmph that came in the same season and against the same opponent. The story of his third-fastest delivery is no different as he came up with a 154.7 kmph lethal delivery in the same game.

Nortje has played 40 IPL games so far, across four seasons, and took 53 wickets.

Dale Steyn - 154.4 kmph

While IPL was unfortunate not to see the best of South Africa’s Dale Steyn, one of the most fearsome bowlers in world cricket whose career was hampered repeatedly by injuries, IPL 2012 was a rare occasion when the bowler was in his element while turning up for the now-defunct Deccan Chargers. The fifth season of IPL was Steyn’s best as he ended it with 18 wickets in 12 games and came up with a 154.4 kmph delivery. Steyn played 95 IPL games in his career and took 97 wickets.

Kagiso Rabada - 154.34 kmph 

The third South African on this list, Kagiso Rabada has bowled the 10th fastest ball in IPL history. The year was 2020 and a young Rabada had become seasoned in IPL playing his third season for the Delhi Capitals. Having a fiery season in the IPL 2019 season for Delhi, where Rabada took 25 wickets in 12 matches, he had easily become the franchise’s strike bowler. However, his best was to come in IPL 2020 when he finished with a whopping 30 scalps in 17 games and helped DC reach the final in the process. It was also in this season that he came with a 154.34 kmph delivery. Rabada has played 69 matches in IPL so far, taking 106 wickets in the process.