Thunderous sixes echoed through Arun Jaitley Stadium as Ishan Kishan unleashed havoc on Namibia’s bowlers in T20 World Cup 2026 Match 18. The young Indian opener raced to 50 in merely 20 balls, finishing with 61 off 24, featuring 6 boundaries and 5 maximums in a powerplay masterclass.
This blistering innings etched Kishan’s name deeper into T20I lore, securing his second powerplay fifty and placing him alongside Rohit Sharma in joint second behind Abhishek Sharma’s trio of such feats. For context, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal have one each.
India’s powerplay explosion yielded 86/1, slotting into T20 World Cup’s top four. It trails West Indies’ 92/1 (vs Afghanistan 2024), Netherlands’ 91/1 (vs Ireland 2014), and England’s 89/3 (vs South Africa 2016).
In the race for fastest Indian T20 WC fifties, Kishan joins Yuvraj Singh at 20 balls (vs Australia 2007) for fourth. Legends ahead include Yuvraj’s record 12-ball blitz (vs England 2007), Rahul’s 18-ball (vs Scotland 2021), and Rohit’s 19-ball (vs Australia 2024).
Now the third Indian with a T20 World Cup powerplay fifty—after Rahul and Rohit—Kishan’s innings signals India’s batting depth ahead of crunch stages. Fans are buzzing about this prodigy who thrives under pressure.