Most Runs As Opening Pair In IPL: Virat Kohli & Faf Du Plessis Close in on Leaders

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) openers Virat Kohli and Faf Du Plessis got closer to the leaders for most runs as opening pair in Indian Premier League (IPL) history with 92-run stand in IPL 2024 match 52 against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Saturday (May 4).

Kohli and Du Plessis have forged a great partnership since they linked up in 2022. The duo, who broke the record for most runs as an opening pair in a single season in 2023, have been consistent in their stands.

The RCB duo has amassed over 1700 runs as a pair and are only behind Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner, who have shared over 2000 runs as opening partners when they represented Sunrisers Hyderabad from seasons 2014 to 2017.

Earlier this season, Gujarat Titans duo of Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha crossed 1000 runs as opening pair, joining several other opening duos in the Indian Premier League.

Last season, we saw several pairs including Kohli & Du Plessis, Rohit Sharma & Ishan Kishan, Devon Conway & Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Jos Buttler & Yashasvi Jaiswal breach the 1000-run mark as an opening pair in IPL.

A formidable partnership of former Kolkata Knight Riders openers Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa also features in the top 10 along with KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, who shared great stands during their stint at Punjab Kings.

Meanwhile IPL legend Chris Gayle also shared big stands with different partners during his IPL career. Here is a look at the top opening pairs with most runs in IPL:

Most Runs as Opening Partners in IPL

Pair	Team(s)	Innings	Runs	100+ Stands
Shikhar Dhawan & David Warner	SRH	48	2220	6
Faf Du Plessis & Virat Kohli	RCB	33	1773	5
Gautam Gambhir & Robin Uthappa	KKR	39	1478	3
Shikhar Dhawan & Prithvi Shaw	DC	44	1461	2
Rohit Sharma & Ishan Kishan	MI	41	1456	1
Jonny Bairstow & David Warner	SRH	24	1401	5
Mayank Agarwal & KL Rahul	PBKS	24	1363	4
Brendon McCullum & Dwayne Smith	GL	38	1363	3
Mike Hussey & Murali Vijay	CSK	34	1360	2
Quinton de Kock & Rohit Sharma	MI	37	1269	0
Chris Gayle & Virat Kohli	RCB	28	1210	4
Ruturaj Gaikwad & Devon Conway	CSK	22	1208	4
Jos Buttler & Yashasvi Jaiswal	RR	37	1154	0
Shubman Gill & Wriddhiman Saha	GT	37	1119	2
Chris Gayle & KL Rahul	RCB & PBKS	26	1073	3

When Kohli and Du Plessis entered the 1000-club last year, the RCB opening pair also breached the record for most runs as a pair in a single season during the IPL 2023 season.

The RCB duo had eclipsed the former SRH pair Warner and Jonny Bairstow's stand of 791 runs with an opening wicket partnership of 172 to reach the most runs as partners in a single season. Here is a look at most runs by opening pair in single IPL edition.

Most Runs by an opening pair in single IPL season

Pair	Team	Innings	Runs	100+ Stands	Year
Virat Kohli & Faf Du Plessis	RCB	14	939	3	2023
Jonny Bairstow & David Warner	SRH	10	791	4	2019
Faf Du Plessis & Ruturaj Gaikwad	CSK	16	756	2	2021
Shikhar Dhawan & Prithvi Shaw	DC	15	744	2	2021
Shikhar Dhawan & David Warner	SRH	17	731	1	2016

While most of the pairs have been separated either due to injury, non-availabilty and retirement, there are a few active pairs, who can catch up on the leaders during the IPL 2024 season.

Kohli and Du Plessis have dominated the charts again this season followed by new Kolkata Knight Riders opening pair Sunil Narine and Phil Salt. Here is a look at the most runs by opening pair in IPL 2024: