In a tournament like IPL, every team wants to have a good start with the bat in the initial overs of the match. It all depends on how the opening batsmen perform which defines the strategy of the team in the innings. If they give a good start, then the opposition can be put under pressure which can result in disruption of plans for the other team. Whereas in case of a bad start, it becomes difficult to recover from an early loss. In this article, we will be discussing the 5 highest opening partnerships in the history of IPL.
5.Chris Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan – 167 runs
This match from IPL 2013 is remembered for a masterclass innings from ‘universe boss’ Chris Gayle who slammed 175 runs in only 66 balls. He added 167 runs for the first wicket with Tillakaratne Dilshan. Among these runs, the Sri Lankan batsman had a contribution of only 33 runs which he scored in 36 balls. RCB scored 263/5 in this clash against PWI and won the match by 130 runs as they restricted the opposition to 133/9 in 20 overs.
4.Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis – 181 runs
CSK were chasing a target of 179 runs against Punjab in this match which happened in 2020. They got a great start from their openers Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis as both of them scored over 80 in their innings, and added 181 runs for the first wicket. Shane Watson played an amazing knock of 83 runs off 53 balls, and was awarded player of the match in the 10-wicket win of the team.
3.KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal – 183 runs
This match will be etched in the memory of fans because of Rahul Tewatia’s blazing knock which took Rajasthan Royals to a thrilling win. But before that, Mayank Agarwal had hit a brilliant hundred in the first innings scoring 106 runs off 50 balls. Mayank and KL Rahul added 183 runs for the first wicket which helped the team to reach a total of 223/2 in 20 overs. Rahul smashed 69 runs off 54 balls with the help of 7 fours and 1 six.
2.Gautam Gambhir and Chris Lynn – 184 runs
In this IPL 2017 match, Gujarat Lions posted a total of 183/4 in 20 overs. For them, captain Suresh Raina scored 68 runs off 51 balls. In response to this total, Gautam Gambhir and Chris Lynn started with a bang adding 184 runs for the first wicket and won the match by 10 wickets for KKR with 31 balls to spare. Lynn scored 93 runs off 41 balls while Gambhir made 76 runs in 48 balls.
1.Jonny Bairstow and David Warner – 185 runs
Jonny Bairstow and David Warner set the stage on fire when they smashed centuries in the same match against RCB in IPL 2019. Bairstow scored 114 runs off 56 balls while Warner hit 100 runs off 55 balls. They both added 185 runs for the first wicket, and SRH posted 231/2 in their 20 overs. Chasing this total, RCB collapsed to 113 runs and lost the match by 118 runs. Bairstow was adjudged player of the match for his glorious ton.
Highest opening partnerships in IPL
| Partners | Runs | Against | Year |
| Jonny Bairstow and David Warner | 185 | RCB | 2019 |
| Gautam Gambhir and Chris Lynn | 184* | GL | 2017 |
| KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal | 183 | RR | 2020 |
| Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis | 181* | KXIP | 2020 |
| Chris Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan | 165 | PWI | 2013 |
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