Quinton de Kock becomes first designated wicketkeeper to score three IPL hundreds

MUMBAI: Mumbai Indians (MI) opener Quinton de Kock has created history by becoming the first designated wicketkeeper in Indian Premier League (IPL) history to score three centuries, achieving the milestone during his side’s clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL 2026 season.

De Kock also became one of the select players to score centuries for three different IPL franchises, alongside KL Rahul and Sanju Samson, highlighting his consistency across teams and seasons. KL Rahul has scored centuries for (PBKS, LSG, DC), whereas Sanju Samson slammed hundreds for (DD, RR, CSK). Quinton de Kock has now scored tons for three IPL centuries (DD, LSG, MI).

1⃣0⃣0⃣-run stand!

A counter-attacking masterclass from Quinton de Kock and Naman Dhir

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In the list of most hundreds in T20 cricket, Chris Gayle leads with 22 centuries, followed by Babar Azam (11) and David Warner (10), while Virat Kohli, Rilee Rossouw, Sahibzada Farhan and Quinton de Kock are all tied with nine hundreds each.

Meanwhile, among the highest individual scores for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, Sanath Jayasuriya tops the chart with 114* vs CSK at Wankhede in 2008, followed by Quinton de Kock’s 112* vs Punjab Kings in 2026, Rohit Sharma’s 109 vs KKR in Kolkata in 2012, and his 105 vs CSK at Wankhede in 2024.

Coming to the match, Punjab Kings continued their dominant run in IPL 2026 with a convincing seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. With this victory, PBKS climbed to the top of the table with four wins and a no-result, overtaking defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), while MI slipped to ninth place with just one win from five matches.

Batting first, MI posted 195/6, powered by Quinton de Kock’s brilliant 112* off 60 balls and a crucial 122-run partnership with Naman Dhir, who scored a quick 50. Arshdeep Singh led PBKS’ bowling effort with 3/22.

In response, PBKS chased down the target in just 16.3 overs, reaching 198/3. Prabhsimran Singh starred with an unbeaten 80 off 39 balls, while skipper Shreyas Iyer contributed a fluent 66 off 35 balls. The duo added a match-defining stand after early setbacks. For MI, Allah Ghazanfar picked up 2/32, but the bowlers were largely ineffective as PBKS dominated the chase. (ANI)