Irrespective of the format, opening partnerships play a crucial role in every team. They set the tone for the rest of the game. Hence, every side aims at having good openers. This enables them to get to a good start.
Over the years, there have been some massive opening partnerships in the history of the Indian T20 League. So much so, that they have determined the fate of the game as well. 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:
In what turned out to be an absolute thriller, Lucknow defeated Kolkata by two runs in this game. It all started with a record-breaking opening partnership between Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul. The duo added 210 runs for the first wicket.
As a matter of fact, the Proteas keeper-batter was at his fluent best as he scored a memorable 140 from just 70 balls. Meanwhile, Rahul scored a 51-ball 68.
2) 185 – Jonny Bairstow and David Warner vs Bangalore in 2019:
David Warner and Jonny Bairstow were breathing fire during the 2019 edition. The duo played an instrumental role in ensuring that Hyderabad make it to the playoffs that season. They were absolutely superb during Hyderabad’s game against Bangalore.
The duo put on a 185-run partnership. It is safe to say that they showed no mercy on Bangalore’s bowlers. Besides, both got to their respective hundreds during the game as well.
3) 184* – Gautam Gambhir and Chris Lynn vs Gujarat in 2017:
Gautam Gambhir and Chris Lynn were scoring the boundaries for fun during this game. In fact, they scored 184 runs in just 14.5 overs. Lynn ruthlessly took the bowlers to the cleaners.
He ended up scoring 93 runs off 41 balls. On the other hand, Gambhir scored 76 off 48. At the end, the two-time champions beat the now-defunct Gujarat team rather comfortably.
4) 183 – Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul vs Rajasthan in 2020:
KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal share a great bond. Thus, they went on to form a formidable opening pair for Punjab. The duo scored a lot of runs together during the 2022 edition.
In that season, they scored a 183-run partnership during Punjab’s game against Rajasthan. Agarwal scored a brilliant century as well. Yet, it came in a losing cause as the Rajasthan-based franchise won that match.
5) 182 – Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Hyderabad in 2022:
Despite not being at their best during the 2022 edition, Chennai did have a few positives, One of them was Devon Conway. The Kiwi batter joined forces with Ruturaj Gaikwad to form a reliable opening pair for the yellow army.
During their game against Hyderabad, Conway and Gaikwad added 182 runs for the first wicket. The.25-year-old scored an amazing 99 as well. Thus, Chennai ended up beating Hyderabad by 13 runs.
