The No. 3 batting position in the IPL has produced some of the most famous innings in the history of the tournament. AB de Villiers 133 not out for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Mumbai Indians in 2015 is the highest individual score by a No. 3 batter in IPL history. No batter walking in at No. 3 has gone past that mark since.
This list of the highest individual scores by No. 3 batters in IPL history shows who has handled that pressure best. The No. 3 spot is a special place to bat. The batter walks in early against the new ball, yet the team expects fast scoring from the first ball. Marcus Stoinis, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav and Venkatesh Iyer all feature in the top 10. Every score on this list is a century, and every one came in a different season or in a different style. Here is the full top 10, the story of how the record grew over the seasons, and answers to the most asked questions about it.
IPL Stats: Highest Individual Scores by No. 3 Batters Overview
| Detail | Record |
|---|---|
| Record | Highest individual score by a No. 3 batter in the IPL |
| Holder | AB de Villiers (Royal Challengers Bangalore) |
| Score | 133 not out |
| Balls faced | 59 |
| Fours / Sixes | 19 fours, 4 sixes |
| Match | RCB vs Mumbai Indians |
| Venue | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| Date | 10 May 2015 |
| Result | RCB won by 39 runs |
Top 10 Highest Individual Scores by No. 3 Batters in IPL
| Rank | Batter | Score | Balls | Team | Opposition | Season | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AB de Villiers | 133 not out | 59 | RCB | Mumbai Indians | 2015 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | RCB won by 39 runs |
| 2 | AB de Villiers | 129 not out | 52 | RCB | Gujarat Lions | 2016 | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | RCB won by 144 runs |
| 3 | Marcus Stoinis | 124 not out | 63 | LSG | Chennai Super Kings | 2024 | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | LSG won by 6 wickets |
| 4 | Sanju Samson | 119 | 63 | RR | Punjab Kings | 2021 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | RR lost by 4 runs |
| 5 | Venkatesh Iyer | 104 | 51 | KKR | Mumbai Indians | 2023 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | KKR lost by 5 wickets |
| 6 | Suryakumar Yadav | 103 not out | 49 | MI | Gujarat Titans | 2023 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | MI won by 9 runs |
| 7 | Kevin Pietersen | 103 not out | 64 | DD | Deccan Chargers | 2012 | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi | DD won by 5 wickets |
| 8 | Sanju Samson | 102 not out | 55 | RR | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2019 | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad | RR lost by 5 wickets |
| 9 | Suresh Raina | 100 not out | 53 | CSK | Kings XI Punjab | 2013 | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | CSK won by 15 runs |
| 10 | Cameron Green | 100 not out | 47 | MI | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2023 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | MI won by 8 wickets |
Record History: How the No. 3 Record Grew Season by Season
The first great No. 3 innings in IPL history came in 2012. Kevin Pietersen walked in early for Delhi Daredevils against Deccan Chargers in Delhi and finished on 103 not out off 64 balls, with 6 fours and 9 sixes. It was his first hundred in T20 cricket and it carried Delhi to a five wicket win. For three seasons that stood as the benchmark for No. 3 batters in the league.
In 2013 Suresh Raina joined the list with 100 not out off 53 balls for Chennai Super Kings against Kings XI Punjab at Chepauk. Raina hit 7 fours and 6 sixes and Chennai won by 15 runs. The record score still belonged to Pietersen, but Raina’s name was now on the board. Raina went on to build a huge career at No. 3 and he still holds the record for the most career runs at this position in the IPL, with 4,934 runs through the 2022 season.
Then came AB de Villiers in 2015. Batting at No. 3 for RCB against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, he scored 133 not out off just 59 balls with 19 fours and 4 sixes. He shared a 215 run second wicket stand with Virat Kohli, one of the highest partnerships in the IPL. RCB won by 39 runs, and the No. 3 record moved to a level no one has touched since.
A year later AB raised the bar again, this time at home. Against Gujarat Lions in Bengaluru in 2016 he made 129 not out off 52 balls with 10 fours and 12 sixes, as RCB posted 248 for 3 and won by 144 runs. That innings remains the second highest score by a No. 3 batter in IPL history.
The 2023 season produced a cluster of No. 3 hundreds. Venkatesh Iyer hit 104 off 51 balls for KKR against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede, the first KKR hundred since Brendon McCullum’s famous 158 in 2008. Suryakumar Yadav made 103 not out off 49 balls against Gujarat Titans, which he later called his best T20 innings. Cameron Green finished the league stage with 100 not out off 47 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad in a must win game. Three different No. 3 hundreds in one season had never happened before.
The latest entry is the third highest of them all. In April 2024 Marcus Stoinis walked in at No. 3 for Lucknow Super Giants against Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk with his team in early trouble. He finished 124 not out off 63 balls, with 13 fours and 6 sixes, and carried LSG to a six wicket win in a chase of 211. It was the highest score in a successful IPL chase by a No. 3 batter.
What This Record Tells Us
Seven of these ten centuries came in winning causes, which shows that a big hundred at No. 3 usually decides the match. The three that came in losing causes were Sanju Samson 119 in 2021, Venkatesh Iyer 104 in 2023, and Samson 102 not out in 2019, and each of those defeats was by five wickets or less.
The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai appears five times in the top 10, more than any other venue. Its short boundaries and true pitch reward the stroke play that No. 3 batters love. The 2023 season alone gave us three entries on this list, a sign that teams now trust their No. 3 to bat long and bat fast in the same innings.
Indian and overseas batters share this list evenly, with five entries each. Sanju Samson is the only batter apart from AB de Villiers with two entries. Franchises study these big innings closely when they plan retention and auction strategy, since a proven No. 3 can shape a whole batting order. You can read how teams plan those calls in our guide to the IPL 2027 retention deadline, rules and purse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who holds the record for the highest individual score by a No. 3 batter in the IPL?
AB de Villiers holds the record. He scored 133 not out off 59 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on 10 May 2015. He hit 19 fours and 4 sixes, and RCB won the match by 39 runs.
Has any No. 3 batter scored 150 in the IPL?
No. The highest individual score by a No. 3 batter in IPL history is 133 not out, set by AB de Villiers in 2015. No batter at this position has crossed even 135 in the league.
Which team has the most entries in the No. 3 top 10?
Three teams have two entries each. Royal Challengers Bangalore have both of AB de Villiers’ centuries, Rajasthan Royals have both of Sanju Samson’s hundreds, and Mumbai Indians have Suryakumar Yadav 103 not out and Cameron Green 100 not out.
What is the highest No. 3 score in a losing cause?
Sanju Samson 119 off 63 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in 2021. He hit 12 fours and 7 sixes in a chase of 222, and Rajasthan lost by just 4 runs.
Who scored the slowest hundred at No. 3 in the IPL?
Among the top 10, Kevin Pietersen’s 103 not out off 64 balls for Delhi Daredevils against Deccan Chargers in 2012 is the slowest. It ranks among the slowest centuries in IPL history, yet it still won Delhi the match by 5 wickets.
Has a No. 3 batter ever scored a hundred in an IPL final?
No. The only century in an IPL final by a wicketkeeper batter, Wriddhiman Saha 115 not out in the 2014 final, came at No. 4. None of the ten centuries on this No. 3 list came in a final.
Who has scored the most career runs at No. 3 in the IPL?
Suresh Raina. He scored 4,934 runs in 171 innings at No. 3 for Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Lions through the 2022 season, far more than any other batter at this position.
When was the most recent No. 3 century in the IPL?
Marcus Stoinis 124 not out for Lucknow Super Giants against Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk on 23 April 2024. He carried LSG to a six wicket win in a chase of 211, with 13 fours and 6 sixes.
Statistics updated through: 15 October 2026
