Scoring a century in any format of cricket is considered a significant milestone for batters, and every batter envisions their century before heading onto the field. If any individual scores a century, most likely his side ends up on the winning side, but cricket is a team sport, and there have been many instances when individual centuries went in vain. In this article, we will shed light on three players whose centuries went in vain in the world’s biggest franchise league, Indian Premier League (IPL).
1. Wriddhiman Saha – 115* (55) vs Kolkata Knight Riders
It was the grand finale of the 2014 IPL, featuring the two best teams of that season – Kings XI (now Punjab Kings) and Kolkata Knight Riders, battling for the silverware. KKR won the toss and put the Punjab-based franchise into bat. Halfway through the innings, Punjab were reeling at 58/2. 
The KKR bowlers kept things tight in the first half of the innings and didn’t allow their counterparts to free their arms, but Wriddhiman Saha stepped up on the occasion for the Kings and went honkers and bonkers in the latter half of the innings, scoring an unbeaten 115 runs off 55 balls and helping his side post a hefty 199/4 in 20 overs.
It was all smiles in Punjab’s camp, but fate had other plans for them, as Manish Pandey’s 94 runs proved pivotal for KKR in the chase as they managed to chase down 199 runs by 3 wickets and 3 balls to spare.
It was a heartbreak moment for the Bengal batter, as his scintillating century couldn’t secure the victory for his side in the grand finale. It is pertinent to mention that, Saha is the first player to score a century in the IPL final.
2. Rishabh Pant – 128*(63) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
On May 10, 2018, Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) clashed with Sunrisers Hyderabad in Delhi, with the former team electing to bat first after winning the coin toss. The Delhi-based franchise began their innings on a lackluster note, only managing to score 98/4 in 14 overs.
However, Rishabh Pant wreaked havoc with the bat in the death overs, pummeling SRH bowlers to all corners of the park. The left-handed batter notched up his fifty off 36 balls, but it took only 20 deliveries for him to convert his fifty into a century. Pant remained unbeaten on 128 runs off 63 balls, smashing 15 fours and 7 sixes and helping his side post 187/5 in 20 overs.
However, Pant’s swashbuckling knock didn’t yield the desired result for his side, as Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson’s unbeaten 92 and 83 runs, respectively, sealed the game for SRH by 9 wickets and 7 balls to spare.
3. Virat Kohli – 113* (72) vs Rajasthan Royals
On April 6, 2024, Virat Kohli became the first player to score a century in the 2024 IPL, reaching this milestone against Rajasthan Royals. The Rajasthan-based franchise won the toss and invited Royal Challengers Bengaluru to bat first. Kohli and Faf du Plessis provided a decent start to RCB, forging 125 runs for the first wicket, with du Plessis departing for 44 runs.
Kohli looked sluggish in a few phases of the innings, but the right-hander batter carried the bat for RCB and notched up his century on the occasion, scoring 113 runs off 72 balls and helping RCB post 183/3 in 20 overs. It is noteworthy to mention that the former RCB skipper took 67 balls to achieve the three-digit figure, which is the joint slowest century in IPL, along with Manish Pandey’s century against the Deccan Chargers in 2009.
Kohli’s century was eclipsed by Joss Buttler’s scintillating ton, who amassed an unbeaten 100 off 58 balls and helped Rajasthan Royals chase down 183 runs with 6 wickets and 5 balls to spare.
