A top-order batsman who occasionally bowls medium-pace, Paul Valthaty shot into the limelight with a blistering century for Kings XI Punjab in the 2011 IPL season. Valthaty had a nondescript career till then, since making his way up the levels of age group cricket in Mumbai during the late 1990s. He made India's Under-19 squad to the 2002 World Cup in New Zealand with the likes of Irfan Pathan and Parthiv Patel where an injury to his eye in the game against Bangladesh halted his development. He couldn't make the breakthrough into senior cricket for years, and got just one opportunity for Mumbai, a one-dayer in 2006. There was no high-profile cricket for him for another few years, till Rajasthan Royals punted on him in the 2009 season, where he played a couple of matches. That earned him a place in Mumbai's Twenty20 side, and he turned in a few powerful performances for them, which led to a contract with Kings XI Punjab in 2011.
Paul Valthaty is the player of Kings XI Punjab who gave outstanding performance in the Indian Premier League against champions Chennai Super Kings. Valthaty raced to 120 not out in 63 balls as the Kings XI Punjab chased down the 189-run target with six wickets and five balls to spare on Wednesday, 13th April, 2011 at Mohali. It was the first hundred of IPL 2011 and 13th overall and this century is his first fastest century. It was also the 3rd highest IPL score ever, after only Brendon McCullum's 158* and Murali Vijay's 127. In the next game Paul scored a fabulous 75 of 47 deliveries hitting 5 sixes and 8 fours after achieving the best bowling figures for any Kings XI Punjab bowler with 4 for 29. His all round performance resulted in a big win for his team & man of the match for him.
