The fastest ball recorded by an Indian bowler is Umran Malik’s 157 kph, bowled for Hyderabad against Delhi at the Brabourne Stadium on 5 May 2022 in the Indian T20 League. Mayank Yadav’s 156.7 kph in 2024 is the closest anyone has come since.
Both of those were bowled in franchise cricket. In international cricket the Indian best is lower: Umran Malik’s 156 kph against Sri Lanka in 2023.
One caveat that applies to every figure on this page: there is no official record for bowling speed. The ICC does not ratify it. These are broadcasters’ speed-gun readings, taken on different equipment in different years, and they are the numbers cricket has settled on rather than measurements made under a single standard.
Fastest Indian bowlers, by their quickest delivery
| Rank | Bowler | Fastest ball | Against | Where | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Umran Malik | 157 kph | Delhi | Indian T20 League | 2022 |
| 2 | Mayank Yadav | 156.7 kph | Bengaluru | Indian T20 League | 2024 |
| 3 | Irfan Pathan | 153.7 kph | Pakistan | T20 World Cup | 2007 |
| 4 | Mohammed Shami | 153.3 kph | Australia | Melbourne Test | 2014 |
| 5 | Jasprit Bumrah | 153.26 kph | Australia | Adelaide Test | 2018 |
| 6 | Navdeep Saini | 152.85 kph | Mumbai | Indian T20 League | 2019 |
| 7 | Ishant Sharma | 152.6 kph | Australia | International | 2008 |
| 8 | Umesh Yadav | 152.5 kph | Sri Lanka | International | 2012 |
| 8 | Varun Aaron | 152.5 kph | Sri Lanka | International | 2014 |
Only two Indians have been clocked above 154 kph, and both readings came in the Indian T20 League. The seven names from Irfan Pathan down are spread across just 1.2 kph, which is worth remembering before treating that order as settled.
Every Indian delivery above 152 kph on record
The table above takes each bowler’s best. This one lists the deliveries themselves, which is why Umran Malik and Mayank Yadav appear more than once.
| Bowler | Speed | Against | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Umran Malik | 157 kph | Delhi | 2022 |
| Mayank Yadav | 156.7 kph | Bengaluru | 2024 |
| Umran Malik | 156 kph | Delhi | 2022 |
| Umran Malik | 156 kph | Sri Lanka | 2023 |
| Mayank Yadav | 155.8 kph | Punjab | 2024 |
| Umran Malik | 155 kph | Sri Lanka | 2023 |
| Umran Malik | 154 kph | Chennai | 2022 |
| Mayank Yadav | 153.9 kph | Punjab | 2024 |
| Irfan Pathan | 153.7 kph | Pakistan | 2007 |
| Mohammed Shami | 153.3 kph | Australia | 2014 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 153.26 kph | Australia | 2018 |
| Navdeep Saini | 152.85 kph | Mumbai | 2019 |
| Ishant Sharma | 152.6 kph | Australia | 2008 |
| Umesh Yadav | 152.5 kph | Sri Lanka | 2012 |
| Varun Aaron | 152.5 kph | Sri Lanka | 2014 |
Umran Malik – 157 kph
The Jammu and Kashmir pacer bowled his 157 kph delivery in the final over of his spell against Delhi on 5 May 2022, and a 156 kph ball in the same match. Across that season he was past 150 kph repeatedly: 154, 153.3, 153.1, 153, 152.9, 152.6, 152.4, 152.3 and 152 kph all came in the 2022 edition. Full detail: Umran Malik’s fastest ball.
Mayank Yadav – 156.7 kph
Mayank Yadav, from Delhi, made his Indian T20 League debut for Lucknow against Punjab in 2024, and the 155.8 kph delivery he bowled to the Punjab captain Shikhar Dhawan announced him. Later that season he produced the fastest ball of the tournament, 156.7 kph, against Bengaluru at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Irfan Pathan – 153.7 kph
The quickest of the previous generation. Pathan, a left-arm swing bowler rather than an out-and-out speedster, was clocked at 153.7 kph against Pakistan at the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.
Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and the Test quicks
Mohammed Shami’s 153.3 kph came in the third Test at Melbourne in 2014, a series in which he took 15 wickets at 35.80. Jasprit Bumrah’s 153.26 kph was bowled in the first Test at Adelaide in 2018, on a tour where he finished with 21 wickets at 17. Navdeep Saini follows them at 152.85 kph from the 2019 Indian T20 League, then Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron, all of whom have passed 152 kph in international cricket.
Where Indians sit on the Indian T20 League list
No Indian has bowled the fastest ball in the tournament’s history. Our own record of it:
| Bowler | Team | Speed | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shaun Tait (Australia) | Rajasthan | 157.71 kph | 2011 |
| Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand) | Gujarat | 157.3 kph | 2022 |
| Umran Malik (India) | Hyderabad | 157 kph | 2022 |
| Mayank Yadav (India) | Lucknow | 156.7 kph | 2024 |
| Anrich Nortje (South Africa) | Delhi | 156.2 kph | 2020 |
Umran Malik is third and Mayank Yadav fourth, with Shaun Tait’s 2011 reading still ahead of both.
The one that got away: Javagal Srinath
Unofficial reports have Javagal Srinath past 157 kph on India’s tour of South Africa in 1996, which would make him the quickest Indian on record. It has never made any list, because the speed-gun equipment of the time is not treated as reliable — the same reason the figures higher up this page carry a caveat rather than the status of a record.
Fastest Indian bowler: quick answers
Who is the fastest Indian bowler? Umran Malik, at 157 kph against Delhi in the 2022 Indian T20 League.
What is the fastest ball by an Indian in international cricket? Umran Malik’s 156 kph against Sri Lanka in 2023.
Who is second? Mayank Yadav, at 156.7 kph in 2024.
Has an Indian bowled the fastest ball in the Indian T20 League? No. Shaun Tait’s 157.71 kph from 2011 leads, with Lockie Ferguson second and Umran Malik third.
Who was the quickest Indian before them? Irfan Pathan, at 153.7 kph in 2007, on the figures that exist.
See also the fastest bowlers in the world and the fastest balls in cricket history.
Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates from the world of sports!
Interested in cricket betting? Click here to check out the list of top sites.
Featured photo: Indian T20 League