Sai Sudharsan makes history, Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle join elite IPL club Cricket News

Sai Sudharsan (Photo Credit: IPL)

New Delhi: Gujarat Titans opener Sai Sudharsan continued his dream IPL run on Friday, joining Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle in an elite club with another brilliant innings against Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 at Milanpur, New Chandigarh.The stylish left-hander smashed 58 off just 32 balls and in the process completed his ninth 50-plus score of IPL 2026 – the joint second-highest in a single season in the history of the tournament.More importantly, Sudharsan crossed the 700-run mark for the second consecutive IPL season, becoming the third batsman after Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle to record 700-plus campaigns in the tournament.The remarkable feat further cemented Sudharsan’s rise as one of the most consistent and dominant batsmen in T20 cricket.

Sudharsan joins Kohli and Gayle in elite company.

Sudharsan already enjoyed a brilliant season in 2025, but the 2026 edition has taken it to another level.With two consecutive seasons of over 700 runs, he joins an exclusive list that includes only IPL greats Kohli and Gayle. Gayle achieved this feat in 2012 and 2013 while Kohli did it in 2016 and again in 2024.Over 700 runs in two different IPL editions

GTK’s opener also equaled David Warner’s nine 50-plus scores in an IPL season. Only Kohli, with 11 such scores during his legendary 2016 campaign, is ahead of him.Ironically, Sudharsan’s innings once again ended in a strange way as he was dismissed for the second successive match.Attempting to slice a low full toss behind square, Sudharsan lost control of his bat, which crashed into the stumps after the shot went wide for four. The extraordinary dismissal stunned both the crowd and his batting partner Shibman Gill.I highest score more than 50 An IPL edition

Gul Sudharsan’s partnership rewrote T20 history.

Before Sudharsan’s dismissal, he and Gill had already broken several records with another memorable opening stand.The duo shared their 11th century partnership in T20 cricket – the most by any pair in the history of the format. He surpassed legendary combinations like Chris Gayle-Virat Kohli, Babar Azam-Mohammed Rizwan and AB de Villiers-Virat Kohli.Gill and Sudharsan achieved the milestone in just 48 innings, significantly faster than any other duo on the list.The partnership itself was also historic in the history of the IPL playoffs. His stand of 167 runs became the highest partnership ever recorded in the IPL playoffs, surpassing the previous record of the Chennai Super Kings pair of Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay in the 2011 final.Most Contributions (Any Wicket) in IPL Playoffs

The GTK openers also now share eight century stands for opening wickets in T20 cricket, equaling the record held by Pakistan’s Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.While Gujarat Titans continue their bid for another IPL final appearance, Sudharsan and Gill have emerged as the heartbeat of the team this season.