Virat Kohli And Devdutt Padikkal Join Ex-RCB, CSK Greats For Huge IPL Record

Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal in action against Gujarat Titans [Source: AP]

Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal forged yet another fighting partnership, this time on the big day against the Gujarat Titans. Batting first in Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2026 season at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala, the two RCB top-order batters shared 72 runs together for the second wicket in just 38 balls.

Kohli himself composed 43 runs from just 25 balls with five boundaries and a six, and Padikkal made 30 off 19 before both well-set batters were dismissed in quick succession by Jason Holder in the ninth over of the game.

Notably, through the course of their latest collaboration, both Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal also scripted a huge partnership record in IPL.

Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal tonk seventh 50-plus partnership of IPL 2026

Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal formed forces at 21-1 at the start of the third over following the early dismissal of opener Venkatesh Iyer. The two cricketers counterattacked with a 72-run partnership for the second wicket in just 38 balls to blaze the defending champions to 93-1 around the eight-over mark.

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Notably, the partnership marked their seventh stand of 50 or more this IPL 2026 season, thus recording the second-joint highest number of 50-plus partnerships in any single edition of the tournament.

Kohli himself tops the list for his IPL 2023 effort with Faf du Plessis, where both legendary batters slapped eight partnerships of fifty or more. Here is a look at all pairs with the highest number of 50-plus partnerships in a single IPL season.

Most 50+ Partnerships by a Pair in a Single IPL Season:

Kohli, Padikkal inch closer to Gujarat Titans openers for another record

Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal have also accumulated 624 runs as a batting pair for the RCB franchise this IPL 2026 season. The two prolific top-order batters are currently ranked the third most successful pair this tournament, and the most successful non-opening pair.

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Gujarat Titans openers and season’s two most proficient run-makers Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill continue to top the list for aggregating 702 runs together. They are followed by SRH openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head. Here is a look at the most successful batting pairs of the IPL 2026 season thus far.

Most runs by Batting Pairs in IPL 2026 

RCB go full throttle in high-stakes qualifier

Getting invited to bat first, RCB lost opener Venkatesh Iyer for 19 from seven balls in the second over of the match to Kagiso Rabada. With a place in the IPL 2026 final up for grabs, Kohli and Padikkal forged 72 runs for the second wicket, before captain Rajat Patidar blasted a fiery 49* at the time of publishing.

Krunal Pandya also scored the quick runs in the middle order as the defending champions raced to 189-3 in 16 overs.

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