The cricketer who once stunned Indian cricket with six sixes in an over in the Delhi Premier League has now touched the milestone of his maiden IPL century.
Priyansh Arya made his intentions clear from the very first ball of the match, lofting Khaleel Ahmed for a six over point. He was almost dismissed on the very next delivery but got a lucky escape. After that, there was no stopping him. Taking apart Chennai Super Kings’ bowling attack, the Punjab Kings opener delivered a fiery century.
On Tuesday in Mullanpur, after surviving in the first over, Arya struck another six off Khaleel’s fifth ball. From there, he kept the momentum going. He eventually ended his innings on 103, built on a ferocious 42-ball knock that featured 9 sixes and 7 fours.
Arya completed his century in just 39 balls — the joint fourth-fastest in IPL history, tied with Travis Head. Chris Gayle holds the record with a 30-ball century, followed by Yusuf Pathan (37 balls) and David Miller (38 balls).
The 24-year-old first made headlines last year in the Delhi Premier League by smashing six sixes in a single over. He carried that form into the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 325 runs in the last edition with a strike rate of 176.63 and an average of 40.62, including a century.
Punjab Kings picked up Arya for ₹3.8 crore in last November’s IPL mega auction. Ahead of the season, coach Ricky Ponting expressed admiration for the left-hander and backed him from the very beginning.
Arya gave a glimpse of his potential on IPL debut with a 47 off 23 against Gujarat Titans. However, he struggled in the next two games, scoring just 8 against Lucknow Super Giants and a duck versus Rajasthan Royals.
He bounced back in style against Chennai Super Kings. After Punjab opted to bat first, Arya held one end firm as the team kept losing wickets regularly.
Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, and Glenn Maxwell all failed to reach double digits. With the team at 83 for 5, Arya’s aggression steadied the innings and reignited the run flow.
In the second over, he hit a six off Mukesh Kumar, then followed it with three consecutive fours in the pacer’s next over. He brought up his 50 in just 19 balls, sending R Ashwin over the ropes at the end of the powerplay.
Arya continued his carnage in the 12th over, launching Ashwin for back-to-back sixes. Shashank Singh joined the party with another six in that over. The real hammering came against Matheesha Pathirana — Arya smashed the Sri Lankan pacer for three sixes and a four to reach his century in the 13th over.
His sensational knock came to an end in the following over, caught at long-on while attempting another six off Afghanistan’s Noor Ahmad. His partnership with Shashank Singh added 71 runs in just 34 balls.
After Arya’s dismissal, Shashank and Marco Jansen kept the scoreboard ticking with an unbeaten 65-run stand off 38 balls.
Shashank played a solid knock of 52 off 36 balls, hitting 3 sixes and 2 fours. Jansen chipped in with a quick 34 off 19 balls, smashing 2 sixes and 2 fours.
At one point, it looked like Punjab might collapse, but they finished strong, posting 219 for 6 on the board.
