Highest Partnership in IPL History: Complete Records & Stats (Updated 2026)

The highest partnership in IPL history is 229 runs, scored by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Gujarat Lions in 2016. Their second-wicket stand still sits at the top of the IPL partnership records, even after a 220-run partnership by KL Rahul and Nitish Rana for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026.

The record has changed several times over the years, particularly for opening partnerships. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan matched the 210-run mark set by Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul, while the 2026 season added another entry above the 215-run barrier. This list is updated through the IPL 2026 season and separates the biggest overall partnerships from opening-stand records.

Highest Partnerships in IPL History

The table below shows the top 10 largest partnerships recorded in an IPL innings, ranked by runs added together. An asterisk (*) indicates that the partnership remained unbeaten when the innings ended.

The current IPL records archive places Kohli and de Villiers 229 at No. 1, followed by Rahul and Rana 220 in 2026. The same archive also lists the 210-run stands by de Kock-Rahul and Gill-Sudharsan, along with the other entries shown above.

1. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers — 229

The highest partnership in IPL history came in one of RCB most memorable batting performances. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers added 229 runs for the second wicket against Gujarat Lions on May 14, 2016, at Bengaluru.

Kohli made 109 from 55 balls, while de Villiers finished unbeaten on 129 from 52. Together, they lifted RCB to 248/3, and the 229-run stand remained the biggest partnership in the IPL. The official IPL match report recorded it as the highest partnership in T20 cricket at the time as well.

What makes the stand especially notable is how much of RCB innings was built around the pair. After Chris Gayle early dismissal, Kohli and de Villiers controlled the innings for almost its entire remaining length, combining accumulation with boundary hitting.

2. KL Rahul and Nitish Rana — 220

The biggest challenge to the long-standing record arrived in IPL 2026. Delhi Capitals’ KL Rahul and Nitish Rana put together 220 runs for the second wicket against Punjab Kings on April 25, 2026, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Rahul smashed an unbeaten 152 off 67 balls, while Rana scored 91 from 44. Their partnership came from 95 balls and helped Delhi reach 264/2, but Punjab Kings completed a successful chase of 265.

The 220-run stand is now the second-highest partnership in IPL history, only nine runs short of the Kohli-de Villiers record.

It was also an important record for Delhi Capitals, as the partnership became the franchise’s highest in IPL history.

3. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers — 215*

Kohli and de Villiers appear twice near the top of the list. Before establishing the 229-run record in 2016, they had already produced a 215-run unbeaten second-wicket partnership against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2015.

RCB scored 235/1 at the Wankhede Stadium, with de Villiers making 133* from 59 balls and Kohli 82* from 50. The official IPL report described their association as a then world-record partnership in T20 cricket.

The two partnerships also show how exceptional the Kohli-de Villiers combination was: they alone occupy two places in the top three overall IPL partnerships.

4. Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul — 210*

For several years, Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul’s 210* was the benchmark for opening partnerships in the IPL.

The Lucknow Super Giants pair produced the unbeaten stand against Kolkata Knight Riders on May 18, 2022. De Kock finished with 140* from 70 balls and Rahul made 68* from 51, taking LSG to 210/0. The official IPL report confirms that their partnership became the highest opening stand in the league at the time.

It was also a complete innings from the opening pair because neither batter was dismissed and the entire LSG total came through their partnership.

5. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan — 210

The record for the highest opening partnership was matched two years later by Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan.

Playing for Gujarat Titans against Chennai Super Kings on May 10, 2024, the pair added 210 runs for the first wicket. Gill scored 104 from 55 balls and Sudharsan made 103 from 51 as GT reached 231/3.

The stand equalled the 210-run opening partnership established by de Kock and Rahul in 2022. Unlike the LSG record, however, the Gujarat Titans partnership ended with wickets falling after the 200-run mark.

6. Shaun Marsh and Adam Gilchrist — 206

The sixth-largest partnership on the current list dates back to 2011. Shaun Marsh and Adam Gilchrist put on 206 runs for the second wicket for Kings XI Punjab against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Dharamsala.

The partnership became especially significant when Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers’ 215-run stand surpassed it in 2015. IPL’s own historical records referred to the Marsh-Gilchrist partnership as the previous benchmark for a second-wicket stand.

7. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan — 205*

Gill and Sudharsan returned to the list in IPL 2025 with another huge opening partnership.

Against Delhi Capitals on May 18, 2025, they added an unbeaten 205 runs in the chase. Sudharsan scored 108* and Gill 93*, taking Gujarat Titans to 205/0 in 19 overs and a 10-wicket victory.

This made Gill and Sudharsan the only pair besides Kohli and de Villiers to feature twice among the biggest overall IPL partnerships in the current record list.

8. Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli — 204*

Another RCB combination occupies the eighth position. Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli added an unbeaten 204-run second-wicket stand against Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2012.

Gayle finished on 128* from 62 balls and Kohli scored 73 from 53 as RCB posted 215/1. The official IPL records from the match confirmed the 204-run association.

The partnership is one of the clearest examples of two contrasting batting styles working together. Gayle supplied the power, while Kohli’s timing and placement kept the innings moving at the other end.

9. David Warner and Naman Ojha — 189*

David Warner appears in the list with Naman Ojha after an unbeaten 189-run second-wicket partnership for Delhi Daredevils against Deccan Chargers in 2012.

Warner scored 109* and Ojha made 64* as Delhi reached 193/1 in 16.4 overs while chasing 188. The official IPL match report records the 189-run stand.

The partnership came after Delhi lost Virender Sehwag early, turning a difficult chase into a straightforward nine-wicket victory.

10. David Warner and Jonny Bairstow — 185

The final position in this top 10 belongs to another Warner partnership. In IPL 2019, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow added 185 runs for the first wicket against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Hyderabad.

Bairstow scored 114 and Warner 100*, helping Sunrisers Hyderabad reach 231/2. The official IPL match report notes that the partnership was the highest opening stand in the tournament at that point.

Their stand was particularly notable because both openers reached three figures in the same innings.

Highest Opening Partnership in IPL History

The overall record and the opening-partnership record are not the same.

The highest opening partnership is currently 210 runs, a mark shared by two pairs:

Gill and Sudharsan’s 210 came from 104 balls, while de Kock and Rahul required 121 balls for their unbeaten 210. The IPL records archive lists both stands at the top of its opening-partnership records.

Gill and Sudharsan also produced a 205-run unbeaten opening stand against Delhi Capitals in 2025, putting their names on the opening-partnership leaderboard again.

What Changed in IPL 2026?

IPL 2026 did not produce a new all-time partnership record, but it came closer to the mark than any recent season through the 220-run stand between KL Rahul and Nitish Rana.

That partnership moved into second place overall, replacing Kohli and de Villiers’ 215-run stand from 2015 at No. 2. The 2015 RCB partnership therefore moved to third place on the updated all-time list.

Another notable 2026 partnership came from Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly, who added 182 for Punjab Kings against Lucknow Super Giants on April 19. It does not make the current top 10, but the 182-run second-wicket stand was one of the major batting partnerships of that season.

Why a 200-Plus Partnership Is So Rare in the IPL

A partnership of 200 or more runs requires two batters to remain together for a large portion of the innings while maintaining an exceptional scoring rate.

For an opening pair, the full 20 overs are available when neither batter is dismissed. For a middle-order partnership, the challenge is different: the pair must first recover from an earlier wicket and then sustain the innings through the middle and death overs.

The biggest partnerships also show the importance of complementary roles. One batter may score faster while the other manages the strike and targets lower-risk scoring areas. In the 2016 RCB record, for example, Kohli scored 109 while de Villiers made 129*, yet together they produced 229 runs after the early loss of Gayle.

Partnership figures can also differ from the simple addition of the two batters’ scores because the partnership records the runs scored while those two batters are together, including extras during their association.

Highest Partnership vs Highest Opening Partnership

These two records are easy to confuse when searching IPL statistics.

The key distinction is that 229 is the IPL record for any wicket, while 210 is the current benchmark specifically for the first wicket.

Conclusion

The 229-run partnership between Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers remains the highest partnership in IPL history as of the end of IPL 2026. The closest recent challenge came from KL Rahul and Nitish Rana, whose 220-run stand for Delhi Capitals in 2026 moved into second place.

The history of this record also shows how dramatically the IPL has evolved. The top of the list includes legendary RCB combinations, record-setting opening pairs and a major 2026 partnership that came within nine runs of the league’s longstanding benchmark.

Suggested Read

• Most Dot Balls in IPL
• Top 10 Highest Team Totals by Rajasthan Royals 
• Most Runs Against Bumrah in IPL

FAQ