The Pakistan Super League (PSL) and Indian Premier League (IPL) are two of the biggest franchise T20 competitions in the world and both leagues have provided the fans with some high-quality cricket over the years.
While IPL has been around for over 14 years, PSL is relatively young with only 7 seasons. Nevertheless, there have been some magnificent performances with the bat in both leagues.
While PSL is regarded as having the best bowling attacks in world cricket, IPL is renowned for its flat pitches and high-scoring games. The batters in IPL enjoy more success as compared to the PSL. There have been some memorable innings in both the leagues as batters have showcased their class by scoring quick-fire half-centuries.
Pakistan’s veteran wicket-keeper batter, Kamran Akmal, Asif Ali, and Hazratullah Zazai hold the record for the fastest fifty in PSL, while India’s KL Rahul holds the record for the fastest fifty in IPL.
Rahul scored the fastest fifty while playing for Kings XI Punjab (Punjab Kings) against Delhi Capitals in 2018. Kamran scored the fastest half-century against Karachi Kings in 2018 and Zazai also scored his quickest against the same opposition in 2021. Asif scored the fastest PSL fifty against Lahore Qalandars in 2019.
Let’s have a look at the comparison of the fastest fifties in both leagues:
| Balls Faced | PSL | Balls Faced | IPL |
| 17 | Kamran Akmal | 14 | KL Rahul |
| 17 | Asif Ali | 15 | Yusuf Pathan |
| 17 | Hazraullah Zazai | 15 | Sunil Narine |
| 18 | Paul Stirling | 16 | Suresh Raina |
| 18 | Tim David | 16 | Ishan Kishan |
| 18 | Mohammad Haris |
Here is the breakdown of the fastest half-centuries:
PSL
| Player | Balls Taken | Fixture | Year | Venue |
| Kamran Akmal | 17 | Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings | 2018 | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
| Asif Ali | 17 | Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars | 2019 | National Stadium Karachi |
| Hazratullah Zazai | 17 | Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings | 2021 | Abu Dhabi |
| Paul Stirling | 18 | Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi | 2022 | National Stadium Karachi |
| Tim David | 18 | Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi | 2022 | National Stadium Karachi |
| Mohammad Haris | 18 | Peshawar Zalmi vs Islamabad United | 2022 | Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore |
IPL
| Player | Balls Taken | Fixture | Year | Venue |
| Kl Rahul | 14 | Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Capitals | 2018 | Mohali |
| Yusuf Pathan | 15 | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2014 | Kolkata |
| Sunil Narine | 15 | Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore | 2017 | Bangalore |
| Suresh Raina | 16 | Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab | 2014 | Mumbai |
| Ishan Kishan | 16 | Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2021 | Abu Dhabi |
Obsession with ipl has crossed limits. Please stop these articles. It is better if we highlight only positive things about psl. Request from a proud Pakistani fan.