Punjab Kings’ rookie opener Priyansh Arya’s 38-ball century flattens CSK

In just his fourth match, rookie opener Priyansh Arya joined an elite list in the IPL by smacking the league’s joint fourth-fastest century, off just 39 deliveries, and become its second-youngest uncapped Indian centurion.

One of the brightest prospects of IPL 2025, the 24-year-old Arya ended with 103 off 42 balls out of Punjab Kings’ total of 219/6 which was enough for the home team to beat Chennai Super Kings by 18 runs. 

The beneficiary of three chances in what was arguably the sloppiest fielding performance across two innings in the same match all season, Arya struck nine sixes and seven fours in an astonishing innings. Arya was dropped in the first over of the game by Khaleel Ahmed who stuck out his right hand but failed to hold onto the caught-and-bowled chance, and then later in the sixth over by Ravichandran Ashwin and 12th over by Mukesh Choudhary. 

What made his effort even more impactful was that it stood out among the ruins of Punjab’s batting, of which the remaining five in the top six combined for a mere 23 runs. This included fellow opener Prabhsimran Singh who was bowled for a duck in the second over, PBKS captain Shreyas Iyer, also bowled for 9, Marcus Stoinis for 4, Nehal Wadhera for 9 and Glenn Maxwell for 1. Watching from the nonstriker’s end as Wadhera and Maxwell departed in the same over bowled by Ashwin, young Arya must have wondered to himself if a chance for a maiden IPL century was vanishing in front of his eyes.

And so, he sped to his half-century in 19 deliveries, and partnered by Shashank Singh he kept swinging for the boundaries. In one over bowled by Matheesha Pathirana, Arya swung three successive sixes and then edged the next ball to wide third man for four to raise his hundred off 39 balls. 

His exit not long after was followed by Shashank hitting 52* off 36 and Marco Jansen 34* off 19 to get Punjab to a good total.

Losing an early wicket to Maxwell set back CSK inside the Powerplay, but so too did the lack of aggression from their batting. Ruturaj Gaikwad made one run, Devon Conway took 37 balls to get his half-century and Shivam Dube’s struggles continued. 

Dube made 42 off 27 balls but never looked like threatening PBKS’ total, while Conway struck 69 off 49 balls before he was retired out with CSK needing 49 from13 balls. MS Dhoni gave the New Chandigarh fans reason to wave their placards with three sixes in a cameo innings of 27 from 12, but the match had been lost long before Conway was retired. Dropping so five catches and relying on an outdated batting approach had already cost CSK this match.