Lucknow Super Giants openers Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul recorded the highest partnership for the first wicket in the history of the IPL. They achieved this feat last night in the 66th match of IPL 2022. This is the first time in the IPL that an opening partnership was unbroken after a team batted first and completed 20 overs.
On Wednesday against Kolkata Knight Riders, Quinton de Kock hit an unbeaten 140 off 70 balls. Meanwhile, KL Rahul smashed 68 not out to set a new IPL record with their 210-run stand in 20 overs.
This is now the second-highest unbeaten partnership in the IPL and the third-highest partnership for any wicket in the tournament.
In 2017, Gautam Gambhir and Chris Lynn had added 184 for the opening wicket for Kolkata Knight Riders against Gujarat Lions.
Incidentally, KL Rahul was also involved in what is now the fourth-highest opening partnership. KL Rahul added 183 with Mayank Agarwal for Punjab Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2020.
The de Kock-Rahul partnership on Wednesday was a statistician's delight. De Kock scored the third-highest individual in the IPL behind Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum.
Meanwhile, KL Rahul became the third Indian after Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan to hit over 500 runs in different seasons of the IPL. However, unlike Kohli and Dhawan, Rahul achieved the feat in 5 successive years.
Now, let's look at the top 5 highest-opening partnerships in IPL history. Meanwhile, check IPL Schedule 2023 to be ready for the next season of the Indian Premier League.
| Partnership | Players Duo | Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 210* | KL Rahul & Quinton de Kock | KKR | 2022 |
| 185 | David Warner & Jonny Bairstow | RCB | 2019 |
| 184* | Gautam Gambhir & Chris Lynn | GL | 2017 |
| 183 | KL Rahul & Mayank Agarwal | RR | 2020 |
| 182 | Ruturaj Gaikwad & Devon Conway | SRH | 2022 |
N.B: Last Updated on 18/05/2022.
