Urvil Patel training with Gujarat Titans players© BCCI/Sportzpics
Not every story has a happy ending in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions. As the IPL 2025 auction concluded, Gujarat batter Urvil Patel remained unsold, with none of the 10 franchises deciding to submit a bid for his services. Taking the setback to the chin, Urvil decided to put on a show in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for his state team, scoring the fastest ton ever witnessed in the T20 format by an Indian. Urvil took just 28 balls to reach the triple-digit score against Tripura on Wednesday.
Until yesterday, Rishabh Pant held the record for scoring the quickest T20 century for an Indian. He had hit a 32-ball ton against Himachal Pradesh in 2018 to claim the numero uno spot. Next on the list is Rohit Sharma who had hit a 35-ball century against Sri Lanka in 2017.
Urvil slots in at the No. 2 position in the list of batters with the fastest T20 ton globally. Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan holds that spot, having scored a 27-ball century against Cyprus earlier this year.
After getting his name written in the history books, Urvil recalled a conversation he had with India’s current T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
“He [Suryakumar] gave me a lot of batting tips. He said, ‘Bindaas khelne ka. Ball ko dekhna, but pehle bowler ko, uske action ko, uske hand aur finger movement ko. And be confident. Apne aap ko hamesha back karna’.”
“[Play fearlessly. Focus on the ball, but first observe the bowler-watch their action, their hand, and finger movements. And be confident. Always back yourself],” the Gujarat cricketer recalled.
“I always recall his words whenever I go to the middle. We both bat with the same approach, and it doesn’t matter who the bowler is,” he added.
All hope is not lost for Urvil, who can still be signed by an IPL franchise for the 2025 season as an injury-replacement.
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