Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan put on a huge opening partnership in Gujarat Titans’ match against CSK today (May 10), both reaching centuries. Here’s where the stand sits on the list of highest-ever IPL opening partnerhips.
KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock – 210*, LSG vs KKR, 2022
Rahul and De Kock top the list with their stand from 2022. With Rahul having opted to bat against KKR, he played second fiddle to an outstanding knock from De Kock. The stand was unbroken, and De Kock finished unbeaten on 140 with a strike rate of exactly 200. Rahul didn’t reach half of De Kock’s total, finishing on 68 off 51 balls. The former South Africa keeper took a hat-trick of sixes off Tim Southee’s last over, as well as four consecutive fours off Andre Russell’s final over of the innings. KKR’s response turned the game into a thriller, as they fell two runs short with Marcus Stoinis taking two wickets off the final two balls of the match.
Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan – 210, GT vs CSK, 2024
Gill and Sudharsan’s latest addition to the list was a masterclass in power-hitting. Having kept a brisk pace to reach 107 by the end of the 10th over of the innings, they exploded through the back ten. Having reached his 50 off 25 balls, his second 50 came off just as many. An angry, expletive ridden celebration followed the full toss he guided through the covers for four. Later in that same over, Sudharsan also reached three figure, his brought up with a six over long leg. As the 200 partnership came up, the possible total was climbing, but with the space of five balls of Deshpande’s 18th over, both batters were removed, Sudharsan sweeping a slower ball to extra-cover and Gill caught at deep midwicket.
David Warner, Jonny Bairstow – 185, SRH vs RCB, 2019
An opening partnership of Bairstow and Warner was a mouthwatering prospect for SRH in 2019. Against RCB, they struck gold and registered what was at the time the highest opening partnership in IPL history. Bairstow started with three fours in the opening over of the match off his England teammate Moeen Ali, with the run rate continuing around ten in the first ten overs. Bairstow reached his 50 first, a paddle off Ray Bearman bringing it up off 28 balls. Warner, often starved of the strike, took 32 to reach his several overs later. With Warner still in the sixties, Bairstow reached his first IPL century off 52 balls. He was finally dismissed for 114 off 56 balls, with SRH finishing their innings on 231-2.
Chris Lynn, Gautam Gambhir – 184*, KKR vs GL, 2017
The only partnership on this list which came in a chase, Lynn and Gambhir chased down 184 without losing a wicket with 31 balls to spare in 2017. Lynn was the main scorer, ending his innings on 93 with a strike rate of 226.82, Gambhir with 76 off 48 balls. The back of the chase was broken early on, with a 19-ball 50 from Lynn which was at that time the second-fastest for KKR. The 73 runs they scored off the powerplay were also the most in IPL history at the time. Their brutal striking in the early part of the chase meant they could ease off towards the end, strolling across the finish line in the 15th over.
KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal – 183, KXIP vs RR, 2020
Rahul’s second entry on the list is the only partnership which came in a loss in the top five. Mayank Agarwal scored a 45-ball century as KXIP, as they were known at the time, posted 223-2. Rahul was the anchor of the innings, finishing with 69 off 54 balls as he and Agarwal shared a 183-run stand. Staggeringly at the time, Rajasthan Royals managed to chase down the runs, a cameo from Rahul Tewatia at the end of the innings pulling them back from needing 50 runs off the final three overs. Tewatia hit five sixes off Sheldon Cottrell’s 18th over and three sixes off Mohammed Shami’s 19th to mean Rasthan eventually won with three balls to spare.
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