In cricket, 99 is the cruellest score in the game. One run short of a century, and the milestone slips away forever. The IPL has seen some of the biggest names in world cricket fall into this painful trap. From Virat Kohli to Chris Gayle, even legends have felt the heartbreak of the nervous nineties.
Only seven batters have ever scored exactly 99 in an IPL innings. Five of them were dismissed on 99, while two remained unbeaten on 99 when the overs ran out. Chris Gayle is the only player to suffer this fate twice, which makes his story the most remarkable of them all.
This article lists every player who scored 99 runs in IPL history with a complete table, tells the story behind each famous knock, covers the two unbeaten 99s, and answers the most asked questions about the unluckiest score in cricket.
Which Players Scored 99 Runs in IPL?
Seven players have scored exactly 99 runs in an IPL innings. The unlucky list includes Virat Kohli, Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan, Chris Gayle, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suresh Raina and once again Chris Gayle. Five of these knocks ended in dismissal, while two batters were left stranded unbeaten. It remains one of the rarest scorelines in the tournament.
The first player to join this club was Virat Kohli in 2013, and the most recent was Ruturaj Gaikwad in 2022. In nearly two decades of IPL cricket, only seven innings have stopped at 99. That shows how rare and painful this milestone is.
Players Dismissed on 99 in IPL – Full List
Getting out on 99 is every batter’s nightmare. The hundred is one shot away, but the bowler or bad luck strikes first. Five batters have been dismissed on exactly 99 in IPL history. The table below lists every one of these heartbreaking innings.
| Player | Score | Balls | 4s | 6s | Dismissal | Against | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 99 | 58 | 10 | 4 | Run out | Delhi Daredevils | 2013 |
| Prithvi Shaw | 99 | 55 | 12 | 3 | Caught | Kolkata Knight Riders | 2019 |
| Ishan Kishan | 99 | 58 | 2 | 9 | Caught | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 2020 |
| Chris Gayle | 99 | 63 | 6 | 8 | Bowled | Rajasthan Royals | 2020 |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | 99 | 57 | 6 | 6 | Caught | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2022 |
Three of these five knocks came in a chase, which made the pressure even worse.
1. Virat Kohli – 99 vs Delhi Daredevils, 2013
Kohli was the first player to get out on 99 in IPL history. Chasing a modest target against Delhi in 2013, he smashed 10 fours and 4 sixes in a 58-ball knock. With one run needed for his hundred, he was run out on the last ball of the innings. His team still won the match, which gave the story a happy ending.
2. Prithvi Shaw – 99 vs KKR, 2019
The young Shaw was leading a steep chase of 186 against Kolkata in Delhi in 2019. His 55-ball 99 included 12 fours and 3 sixes, a display of pure timing. He fell to Lockie Ferguson with his hundred just one hit away. The match ended in a tie, and Delhi won the Super Over thanks to Kagiso Rabada.
3. Ishan Kishan – 99 vs RCB, 2020
Kishan played one of the greatest chasing knocks in IPL history against Bengaluru in Dubai in 2020. His 58-ball 99 had only 2 fours but a massive 9 sixes. He fell to Isuru Udana on the penultimate ball with victory in sight. Mumbai tied the game but lost the Super Over, which made the 99 even more painful.
4. Chris Gayle – 99 vs Rajasthan Royals, 2020
Gayle hammered 6 fours and 8 sixes in his 63-ball 99 against Rajasthan in Abu Dhabi in 2020. He was bowled by Jofra Archer in the final over, one run short of a hundred. The big man threw his bat in frustration as it slipped from his hands. It was a rare sight of the Universe Boss losing his cool.
5. Ruturaj Gaikwad – 99 vs SRH, 2022
Gaikwad looked set for a hundred against Hyderabad in 2022 with 6 fours and 6 sixes in his 57-ball knock. He was caught one run short of the milestone. The Chennai opener had scored a century the previous season, which made this near-miss sting even more.
Who Remained 99 Not Out in IPL?
Not every 99 ends in a dismissal. Two batters have remained unbeaten on 99 in IPL history, stranded when the 20 overs ran out. Suresh Raina was the first, scoring 99 not out for Chennai against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013. Chris Gayle joined him with 99 not out for Punjab against his former team Bengaluru in 2019.
The unbeaten 99 is a strange kind of heartbreak. The batter does nothing wrong but still misses the hundred because the innings ends. Both Raina and Gayle walked off unbeaten, one run short of glory through no fault of their own.
Who Has Scored 99 Twice in IPL?
Chris Gayle is the only player to score 99 twice in IPL history. His first 99 was the unbeaten 99 not out against Bengaluru in 2019, when the overs ran out with him stranded. His second 99 came against Rajasthan in 2020, when Jofra Archer bowled him one run short. Two different kinds of heartbreak for the same giant of the game.
No other batter has even come close to joining this double club. Gayle’s twin 99s sum up his IPL career perfectly: always at the centre of the biggest stories, even the unlucky ones.
Why Is 99 Called the Nervous Nineties?
The nineties are called nervous because batters change their game as the hundred gets close. They start thinking about the milestone instead of the next ball. In T20 cricket, the pressure is even worse because every ball matters. A moment of hesitation or one great delivery is all it takes to fall on 99.
The IPL 99 club proves that no one is safe from the nervous nineties. Kohli, Gayle and Kishan are among the finest white-ball batters ever, yet all three fell one short. That is what makes 99 the cruellest number in cricket.
Conclusion
The 99 club remains one of the most exclusive and painful lists in IPL history. Seven batters have stopped exactly one run short of a hundred, with Gayle suffering the fate twice. Kohli’s run out, Kishan’s Super Over heartbreak and Gayle’s flying bat are stories fans will never forget. The next member of this unlucky club is surely just one season away.
Suggested Read
- Most Fifties in IPL
- Highest Batting Averages in IPL
- Most Ducks in IPL
- IPL Orange Cap Winners List
- Most Man of the Match in IPL
- Rahul Dravid Biography
Which players scored 99 runs in IPL?
Virat Kohli, Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan, Chris Gayle (twice), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suresh Raina (99 not out) and Gayle again (99 not out).
Who was the first player to get out on 99 in IPL?
Virat Kohli run out against Delhi Daredevils in 2013.
Did Chris Gayle score 99 twice in IPL?
Yes 99 not out against RCB in 2019 and dismissed on 99 against Rajasthan Royals in 2020; the only player with two 99s in the IPL.
Who remained 99 not out in IPL?
Suresh Raina (99 not out vs SRH, 2013) and Chris Gayle (99 not out vs RCB, 2019).
How did Virat Kohli get out on 99?
Run out on 99 against Delhi Daredevils in 2013, on the last ball of the innings, one run short of his century.
Why is 99 called the nervous nineties?
Batters feel extra pressure near a hundred and often change their natural game, which leads to mistakes one run short of the milestone.
