NEW DELHI: Gujarat Titans opener Sai Sudharsan kept his sensational IPL campaign rolling on Friday, slipping into the same rare batting bracket as Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle after another standout display in Qualifier 2 against Rajasthan Royals at Mullanpur, New Chandigarh. The left-handed batter struck 58 off just 32 balls, adding another milestone to his season as he registered his ninth fifty-plus score of IPL 2026—level with the joint second-most in a single edition in the tournament’s history.
Even more strikingly, Sudharsan crossed the 700-run mark for the second IPL season in succession, becoming only the third man to achieve multiple 700-plus totals in the competition. The list before him was limited to Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle, making his consistency across back-to-back tournaments particularly noteworthy. The innings once again underlined why Sudharsan is being viewed as one of T20 cricket’s most dependable and forceful run-makers.
Sudharsan joins Kohli and Gayle in elite company
Sudharsan had already turned heads during a breakthrough run in 2025, but the 2026 season has elevated him to another level entirely. By posting 700-plus in successive campaigns, he joined an exclusive group made up only of Kohli and Gayle—both of whom delivered the feat across two different seasons. Gayle accomplished it in 2012 and 2013, while Kohli managed it in 2016 and later again in 2024.
- Chris Gayle: 2012 and 2013
- Virat Kohli: 2016 and 2024
- Sai Sudharsan: 2025 and 2026
700-plus runs in two different IPL editions
That haul of massive totals in separate seasons has been central to Sudharsan’s rise. His numbers place him in the same conversation as IPL batting greats who managed sustained dominance for extended stretches, and this season’s production has only reinforced his status as a top-order engine.
Sudharsan matches Warner’s fifty-plus tally
Alongside the 700-run landmark, Sudharsan also matched David Warner’s record of nine fifty-plus scores within a single IPL season. Only Kohli, with 11 such scores during his celebrated 2016 campaign, remains ahead in that specific ranking.
Ironically, though, Sudharsan’s innings ended in a familiar, unusual way for the second consecutive match—caught out hit wicket. Trying to slice a low full toss behind the square, he lost control of his bat as the ball raced away to the boundary, and the bat then struck the stumps, leaving both the crowd and his batting partner Shubman Gill visibly stunned.
Most 50-plus scores in an IPL edition
- 11 – Virat Kohli in 2016
- 9 – David Warner in 2019
- 9 – David Warner in 2019
- 9 – Sai Sudharsan in 2026
Gill-Sudharsan partnership rewrites T20 history
Before that hit-wicket dismissal, Sudharsan and Gill had already taken their opening partnership to another historic level. Together, they stitched together their 11th century stand in T20 cricket—an outright format-best for any batting duo. In doing so, they moved beyond famous opening combinations such as Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, and AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli.
The pair reached the milestone in only 48 innings, finishing far quicker than any other duo on the list. Their impact was not just limited to overall T20 records, either—this opening partnership also made history in IPL playoff cricket. Their 167-run stand became the highest partnership ever recorded in IPL playoffs, surpassing the previous benchmark held by Chennai Super Kings pair Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay from the 2011 final.
Highest partnerships in IPL playoffs (any wicket)
- 167 – Shubman Gill & Sai Sudharsan (GT) vs RR, Mullanpur, 2026 Q2
- 159 – Michael Hussey & Murali Vijay (CSK) vs RCB, Chennai, 2011 Final
- 140* – Michael Hussey & Suresh Raina (CSK) vs MI, Delhi, 2013 Q2
- 138 – Shubman Gill & Sai Sudharsan (GT) vs MI, Ahmedabad, 2023 Q2
- 136 – Manvinder Bisla & Jacques Kallis (KKR) vs CSK, Chennai, 2012 Final
With their relentless run of success, the GT openers have also amassed eight century partnerships for the opening wicket in T20 cricket, matching the record mark set by Pakistan’s Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
As Gujarat Titans continue their push towards another title-defining final appearance, Sudharsan and Gill have emerged as the heartbeat of the team’s batting this season—driving the side forward with record-setting starts, even if Sudharsan’s dismissals have occasionally taken the spotlight in the most bizarre fashion.
