Virat Kohli broke yet another world record during the IPL 2026 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday. Opening with Venkatesh Iyer, Kohli stitched together a 60-run partnership—his 211th stand of 50 runs or more in T20 cricket. No one in men’s T20 has done that more often. He just edged past former England batter Alex Hales, who has 210, while David Warner (200), Babar Azam (196), and Chris Gayle (191) round out the top five.
So here’s how the list of most 50-plus stands in men’s T20s looks right now:
211 – Virat Kohli*
210 – Alex Hales
200 – David Warner
196 – Babar Azam
191 – Chris Gayle
But the records didn’t stop there. In the match itself, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Ishan Kishan fired 79 as they stacked up a huge total—255 for four—against RCB. Abhishek Sharma added 56 and Heinrich Klaasen chipped in with 51, both bringing up fifties. Kishan and Klaasen put together a big 113-run stand for the third wicket, giving the SRH lineup plenty to cheer about. Rasikh Salam Dar stood out for the RCB bowlers with figures of 2 for 52.
After his knock, Klaasen reflected on how the innings went: “It was a lovely one. Honestly, I struggled at the start, just couldn’t get my timing right. That over against Hazlewood—27 runs—got me back on track. At one point I was 5 off 12 balls, which isn’t great when the team is scoring at 11 or 12 an over. You either have to get out or catch up. Once I found my balance, it came together. And having Kishan going strong at the other end helped a lot. We’ve managed the middle overs well this season. About the pitch? I doubt it’ll get any better as the game goes on. If anything, it’ll probably slow down. Since we’re already in the playoffs, there’s less pressure, so I could take a few risks. You never know—early wickets and anything can happen.”
That’s how the night unfolded: new records and a high-scoring shootout under the lights.
