Gujarat Titans (GT) openers Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan scripted history on Saturday (May 9), going past 2,500 partnership runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL). They became the first-ever all-Indian pair in IPL history to reach the milestone, joining Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)’s iconic Virat Kohli-Ab de Villiers (3123 runs) and Virat Kohli-Chris Gayle (2787 runs) pairs as only the third overall.
The Gill-Sudharsan opening pair reached the milestone while batting against the Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. This was only their 43rd innings together, making them the fastest pair in the IPL to break the 2,500 barrier and the second-best in the world. Only the English domestic cricket pair of Daniel Bell-Drummond
& Joe Denly achieved that at a better pace, taking 41 innings.
As of this innings, Gill and Sudharsan have the best average among all pairs with over 2,500 runs — 62.56. The match against RR saw their ninth 100-plus stand, the joint-second-best only after Kohli-Gayle, Kohli-de Villiers, and Babar Azam-Mohammad Rizwan (all three tied at ten 100-plus partnerships). Having played together since 2022, they are showing all signs of ending up as the most proficient T20 partnership in the world.
All 2500-run-plus partnerships in T20 cricket, sorted by fewest innings to the milestone:
| Partnership | Innings to 2,500 | Milestone Match | Total Runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel Bell-Drummond & Joe Denly | 41 | v Sussex, Canterbury (27 Jul 2018) | 3,923 |
| Sai Sudharsan & Shubman Gill | 43* | v Rajasthan Royals, Jaipur (May 9 2026) | |
| Babar Azam & Mohammad Rizwan | 53 | v New Zealand, Sydney (9 Nov 2022) | 3,382 |
| Chris Gayle & Virat Kohli | 55 | v Kings XI, Bengaluru (18 May 2016) | 2,787 |
| Reeza Hendricks & Rassie van der Dussen | 59 | v W Province, Cape Town (21 Nov 2025) | 2,750 |
| Virat Kohli & AB de Villiers | 61 | v Mumbai Indians, Bengaluru (28 Mar 2019) | 3,123 |
| Jos Buttler & Phil Salt | 62 | v South Africa, Manchester (12 Sep 2025) | 2,836 |
| Kusal Mendis & Pathum Nissanka | 69 | v Zimbabwe, Rawalpindi (25 Nov 2025) | 2,791 |
Against RR, Gill and Sudharsan scored 118 runs together, with Gill scoring 50 off 30 and Sudharsan contributing 55 off 36. For years, the duo has formed the fulcrum of the team, well-supported by Jos Buttler at three. They have been so good that it has raised concerns about their over-reliance on the top three.
