Fast bowling has always been one of the biggest draws in the Indian Premier League. Every season, fans wait to see who hits the highest number on the speed gun.
Over the years, several bowlers have crossed the 154 km/h mark and made their mark in IPL history. Some are international legends, while others are young Indian pacers who burst onto the scene.
In this article, we look at the top 10 fastest deliveries in IPL history. We cover who bowled them, when they happened, and why each delivery still stands out to this day.
Top 10 Fastest Deliveries in IPL History: At a Glance
The top 10 fastest deliveries in the IPL are given in the table below.
| Rank | Bowler | Speed (km/h) | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shaun Tait | 157.71 | 2011 |
| 2 | Lockie Ferguson | 157.3 | 2022 |
| 3 | Umran Malik | 157.0 | 2022 |
| 4 | Mayank Yadav | 156.7 | 2024 |
| 5 | Anrich Nortje | 156.22 | 2020 |
| 6 | Umran Malik | 156.0 | 2022 |
| 7 | Mayank Yadav | 155.8 | 2024 |
| 8 | Anrich Nortje | 155.1 | 2020 |
| 9 | Umran Malik | 154.8 | 2022 |
| 10 | Dale Steyn | 154.4 | 2012 |
1. Shaun Tait: 157.71 km/h (Rajasthan Royals, 2011)
| Metric | Stat |
|---|---|
| Speed | 157.71 km/h |
| Team | Rajasthan Royals |
| Opposition | Delhi Daredevils |
| Season | IPL 2011 |
Shaun Tait holds the record for the fastest delivery in IPL history. In 2011, playing for Rajasthan Royals against Delhi Daredevils, he bowled a delivery at 157.71 km/h that no one has matched since.
Tait was never about swing or spin. He charged in hard and relied on sheer pace. That one delivery showed exactly why batters struggled to face him. Even today, it remains the gold standard in IPL fast bowling.
2. Lockie Ferguson: 157.3 km/h (Gujarat Titans, 2022)
| Metric | Stat |
|---|---|
| Speed | 157.3 km/h |
| Team | Gujarat Titans |
| Opposition | Rajasthan Royals |
| Season | IPL 2022 |
Lockie Ferguson came within a whisker of breaking the all-time IPL speed record in 2022. Playing for the Gujarat Titans against the Rajasthan Royals, he bowled a 157.3 km/h delivery that left everyone stunned.
Ferguson is not just a one-delivery wonder. He kept hitting those high speeds across the whole season, which helped the Gujarat Titans win the title in their debut year. That 157.3 km/h ball put him right at the top of the pace charts.
3. Umran Malik: 157.0 km/h (Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2022)
| Metric | Stat |
|---|---|
| Speed | 157.0 km/h |
| Team | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| Opposition | Delhi Capitals |
| Season | IPL 2022 |
Umran Malik made the 2022 IPL season unforgettable with his raw pace. His 157.0 km/h delivery against the Delhi Capitals remains the fastest ball ever bowled by an Indian in the IPL.
What made Umran stand out was consistency. He crossed 150 km/h regularly throughout that season, which is rare for any bowler. His story, coming from Jammu and Kashmir, also captured the imagination of fans all over India.
4. Mayank Yadav: 156.7 km/h (Lucknow Super Giants, 2024)
| Metric | Stat |
|---|---|
| Speed | 156.7 km/h |
| Team | Lucknow Super Giants |
| Opposition | Royal Challengers Bengaluru |
| Season | IPL 2024 |
Mayank Yadav took IPL 2024 by storm. In only his first season with Lucknow Super Giants, he sent down a 156.7 km/h delivery against Royal Challengers Bengaluru that had everyone talking about him immediately.
Beyond that one delivery, Mayank showed he could bowl fast and accurately at the same time. That is a rare combination, especially for a first-year IPL bowler. His debut season confirmed India has found a genuinely exciting pace talent.
5. Anrich Nortje: 156.22 km/h (Delhi Capitals, 2020)
| Metric | Stat |
|---|---|
| Speed | 156.22 km/h |
| Team | Delhi Capitals |
| Opposition | Rajasthan Royals |
| Season | IPL 2020 |
Anrich Nortje arrived in IPL 2020 and immediately became one of the most feared pacers in the tournament. His 156.22 km/h delivery against the Rajasthan Royals was the fastest ball in the entire season.
What made Nortje so dangerous was that pace came with control. He could attack on flat pitches and still hit the right areas. He even carried the Delhi Capitals to the IPL final that year, proving his impact went well beyond speed alone.
6. Umran Malik: 156.0 km/h (Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2022)
| Metric | Stat |
|---|---|
| Speed | 156.0 km/h |
| Team | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| Opposition | Delhi Capitals |
| Season | IPL 2022 |
Umran Malik shows up in this list twice, and for good reason. His 156.0 km/h delivery for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2022 was not a fluke. He repeated those speeds time and again throughout that season.
Even on flat tracks where batters usually felt comfortable, Umran kept things uncomfortable with that pace. He was still developing his line and length at that point, but raw speed alone made him a serious threat in every over he bowled.
7. Mayank Yadav: 155.8 km/h (Lucknow Super Giants, 2024)
| Metric | Stat |
|---|---|
| Speed | 155.8 km/h |
| Team | Lucknow Super Giants |
| Opposition | Punjab Kings |
| Season | IPL 2024 |
Mayank Yadav’s debut IPL game against the Punjab Kings gave fans a 155.8 km/h delivery that announced him to the world. For a bowler playing his very first IPL match, that kind of pace takes real confidence.
Importantly, Mayank followed that up with even faster deliveries in later games. His ability to bowl at over 155 km/h while keeping his line tight made him stand apart from other young pacers in the competition. India had found a special talent.
8. Anrich Nortje: 155.1 km/h (Delhi Capitals, 2020)
| Metric | Stat |
|---|---|
| Speed | 155.1 km/h |
| Team | Delhi Capitals |
| Opposition | Rajasthan Royals |
| Season | IPL 2020 |
Anrich Nortje appears twice in this top 10, which says everything about his pace. That 155.1 km/h delivery in IPL 2020 was another reminder that his speed was not occasional. He bowled that quickly and kept doing it all tournament.
In fact, bowling at 155 km/h in the middle and death overs was almost routine for Nortje that season. He helped Delhi Capitals reach the final and showed that consistent express pace can change T20 games. His double entry here confirms his place among the IPL’s fastest ever.
9. Umran Malik: 154.8 km/h (Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2022)
| Metric | Stat |
|---|---|
| Speed | 154.8 km/h |
| Team | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| Opposition | Royal Challengers Bengaluru |
| Season | IPL 2022 |
Umran Malik’s third entry in this top 10 tells the full story of his incredible 2022 campaign. That 154.8 km/h delivery against Royal Challengers Bengaluru was part of a season where he regularly broke the 150 km/h barrier.
For Indian cricket fans, watching an Indian bowler sustain those speeds across a full IPL season felt historic. Umran became the face of India’s new wave of fast bowling that year, and deliveries like this one are exactly why his name stayed in the conversation all season long.
10. Dale Steyn: 154.4 km/h (Deccan Chargers, 2012)
| Metric | Stat |
|---|---|
| Speed | 154.4 km/h |
| Team | Deccan Chargers |
| Opposition | Royal Challengers Bengaluru |
| Season | IPL 2012 |
Dale Steyn is best known for his skill with swing and seam, but he could also bowl genuinely fast. In 2012, his 154.4 km/h delivery for the Deccan Chargers against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru showed his full range as a bowler.
Steyn mixed that pace with deadly accuracy, which made him even harder to face than a raw speedster. Injuries slowed him down later in his career, but this delivery is a reminder of how complete a fast bowler he was. His 154.4 km/h entry stands as a tribute to one of cricket’s greatest ever pacers.
Also Read:
Conclusion: Shaun Tait has the Fastest Delivery in IPL with 157.71 km/h
The fastest deliveries in IPL history come from bowlers across different countries and different eras. Yet they all share one thing: the ability to bowl at truly frightening pace when the pressure was on.
Shaun Tait’s 157.71 km/h record has stood since 2011. However, Lockie Ferguson, Umran Malik, and Mayank Yadav have shown in recent seasons that the record is far from safe. The gap is getting smaller every year.
As the IPL continues to attract the world’s best fast bowlers and develop young Indian talent, the race for the fastest delivery is far from over. Fans can look forward to even bigger numbers on the speed gun in the seasons ahead.
