Dasun Shanaka scored the fastest century in Caribbean Premier League history on September 3, 2026, reaching three figures off just 39 deliveries for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots against St Lucia Kings. The 34-year-old Sri Lankan all-rounder finished unbeaten on 121 runs from 43 deliveries, hitting 12 sixes and 8 fours in a knock that powered his side to a commanding total.
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots posted 235/4 and then bowled St Lucia Kings out for 98 in 13.5 overs to win by 137 runs. Andre Fletcher also contributed a 38-ball 64 for the Patriots, providing Shanaka with strong support at the top of the innings. Shanaka was promoted to bat at No. 3 on the advice of coach Malonan Rangarajan and captain Jason Holder.
“Actually, both of them [coach and captain]! And of course, the commentators have been talking a lot about it as well, so I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to bat higher up,” Shanaka said after the match when asked who suggested having him bat up the order.
How did Shanaka break the CPL century record?
The previous record for the fastest century in CPL history stood at 40 balls, held jointly by Andre Russell, Tim Seifert and Shimron Hetmyer. Shanaka bettered that mark by one delivery, reaching his hundred with back-to-back sixes before going on to finish on 121 not out.
“Initially, my plan was just to play according to the merit of the ball, the field placements, and what they offered. After getting to about 30 runs, I felt the wicket was really good, so whenever the ball was in my arc, I decided to take my chances. Luckily, everything worked out for me tonight – it was just one of those days,” he added.
How has Shanaka performed across the 2026 CPL season?
Shanaka’s innings against St Lucia Kings was not an isolated effort. Across six innings in the 2026 CPL season, he has aggregated 255 runs at a strike rate of 229.72, establishing himself as one of the most destructive batters in the competition this year.
His captain Jason Holder praised both the innings and the manner in which it was constructed.
“Dasun has been in great form, so we wanted to utilise him as much as possible. Today, the situation worked out – he got a few more balls and capitalised on every single one. The way he played was so well-poised at the beginning, giving himself a chance before being extremely explosive at the back end, just as we’ve seen from him over the years. Huge credit to him for how he paced and finished the innings,” Holder said.
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