Highest opening partnerships in Indian T20 League history
Over the years, there have been several world-class openers who have played in the Indian T20 league. It gets better when two well-reputed openers play together in the same side. Thus, they go on to form a formidable pair at the top of the order.
Many opening pairs have gone on to have some memorable partnerships in the cash-rich league. So which are the biggest among them? Today, we shall be taking a look at the highest opening partnerships in the history of the Indian T20 League:
1) 210* – Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul vs Kolkata in 2022:
With a lot of stakes riding on this game, Lucknow badly needed a good start. Besides, their batting wasn’t really firing in their previous two games. However, their clash against Kolkata saw Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul score 210 runs for the first wicket.
As a matter of fact, both batters remained unbeaten. De Kock was absolutely sensational in particular. He scored a brilliant 140 from just 70 balls.
2) 185 – Jonny Bairstow and David Warner vs Bangalore in 2019:
Hyderabad have always boasted of a strong top-order. However, their openers were outstanding in the 2019 edition. During that season, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow were scoring quick runs for the orange army in almost every game.
However, the duo unleashed absolute carnage during Hyderabad’s game against Bangalore. Warner and Bairstow scored a 185-run partnership. Besides, both got to their respective centuries during the match as well.
3) 184* – Gautam Gambhir and Chris Lynn vs Gujarat in 2017:
During the game between Kolkata and now-defunct Gujarat, the two-time champions had to chase 184. In an unexpected turn of events, Kolkata’s openers chased it without breaking a sweat. It was Chris Lynn and Gautam Gambhir who added 184 runs for the first wicket.
The Australian batter unleashed his “Lynnsanity”, as he scored a 41-ball 93. On the other hand, Gambhir hit 76 runs in 48 balls. At the end, they chased the total with 31 balls to spare.
4) 183 – Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul vs Rajasthan in 2020:
The first encounter between Rajasthan and Punjab is popular for Rahul Tewatia’s heroics. However, it was an Agarwal-Rahul show which entertained the fans early on. This thrilling game started with a superb partnership between Punjab’s openers.
Agarwal and Rahul added 183 runs for the first wicket. This propelled the Punjab-based franchise to score 223 in the first innings. It is to be noted that Agarwal scored his maiden hundred in this match as well.
5) 182 – Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Hyderabad in 2022:
The 15th edition of the Indian T20 League didn’t really see Chennai being at their best. They were the second team to be knocked out of the tournament. However, the opening pair of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway still entertained the fans.
When Chennai faced Hyderabad, the openers scored 182 runs, and took the attack to the opposition. Gaikwad was unlucky to miss out on a hundred as he was dismissed for 99. Meanwhile, Conway scored an unbeaten 85 off 55 balls.
