There have been many great batting partnerships witnessed in the Indian Premier League but a couple of them have made it to the history books. When two batters are in form and rotate strikes well and attack in appropriate times, a good partnership can make a big difference in a game.
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. That said, the best batting partnership record has seen stiff competition over the years with KL Rahul and Nitish Rana joining second position with 220 runs for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026.
Highest Partnership in IPL History
The record for the highest partnership in IPL history belongs to Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. The two scored 229 runs for the second wicket for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Gujarat Lions at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on 14 May 2016.
The loss of Chris Gayle early in the game proved to be a turning point as Kohli and de Villiers put up an innings for the ages. While Kohli managed to score 109 runs, de Villiers smashed an unbeaten 129 in the same innings. The stand resulted in RCB scoring 248/3, which led them to win the game by 144 runs.
Not just the fact that they had scored 229 runs together but the fact that both of them had scored centuries in the same IPL innings made their batting partnership even more special. Kohli and de Villiers went for the Gujarat Lions bowling attack with varied approaches, as they combined Kohli’s batting with placements with de Villiers’ shot-making ability.
| Record | Details |
|---|---|
| Highest partnership | 229 runs |
| Batters | Virat Kohli & AB de Villiers |
| Team | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| Wicket | 2nd |
| Opposition | Gujarat Lions |
| Venue | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| Date | 14 May 2016 |
| Kohli’s score | 109 |
| AB de Villiers’ score | 129* |
Top 10 Highest Partnerships in IPL History
This list has seen many changes, especially after the arrival of a 220 run partnership between KL Rahul and Nitish Rana in IPL 2026. Here are the top 10 partnerships by runs as of IPL 2026.
| Rank | Partnership | Runs | Wicket | Team | Opposition | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli & AB de Villiers | 229 | 2nd | RCB | Gujarat Lions | 2016 |
| 2 | KL Rahul & Nitish Rana | 220 | 2nd | DC | Punjab Kings | 2026 |
| 3 | Virat Kohli & AB de Villiers | 215* | 2nd | RCB | Mumbai Indians | 2015 |
| 4 | KL Rahul & Quinton de Kock | 210* | 1st | LSG | KKR | 2022 |
| 5 | Shubman Gill & Sai Sudharsan | 210 | 1st | GT | CSK | 2024 |
| 6 | Shaun Marsh & Adam Gilchrist | 206 | 2nd | Kings XI Punjab | RCB | 2011 |
| 7 | Shubman Gill & Sai Sudharsan | 205* | 1st | GT | DC | 2025 |
| 8 | Virat Kohli & Chris Gayle | 204* | 2nd | RCB | Delhi Daredevils | 2012 |
| 9 | David Warner & Naman Ojha | 189* | 2nd | Delhi Daredevils | Deccan Chargers | 2012 |
| 10 | David Warner & Jonny Bairstow | 185 | 1st | SRH | RCB | 2019 |
KL Rahul and Nitish Rana’s 220-Run Partnership
The best and most recent challenge to the record has come in IPL 2026 when KL Rahul and Nitish Rana added 220 runs for Delhi Capitals against Punjab Kings at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on 25 April 2026.
While Rahul put up a brilliant unbeaten 152 in the game, Nitish Rana scored 91 off 44 balls in the game. The partnership helped Delhi Capitals to score 264/2, which became the base from where they could launch the highest successful chase in IPL history.
At 220 runs, their partnership has jumped directly to the second spot in the all-time highest partnership in IPL history, while Kohli and de Villiers’ 229-run record is now only nine runs ahead of it.
Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers: The Most Successful Partnership
The 215-run unbeaten partnership between Kohli and de Villiers was certainly not the only record-making performance for the pair. It was their consistency and productivity in partnership which earned them one of the top places among the best IPL pairs.
A year later, in 2015, they even increased the record, creating the 229-run partnership, which to date is still the highest in IPL history.
In particular, the record of Kohli and de Villiers became especially impressive in IPL 2016, when they managed to create 939 partnership runs, an incredible number, which is one of the most remarkable records of partnerships in IPL.
The key to success of this pair lied in the combination of their batting skills: Kohli was brilliant at finding gaps and controlling the strike, while de Villiers could convert good deliveries into boundaries and even sixes from any position.
Highest Opening Partnership in IPL
Not always, the highest record is the opening partnership. In general, the record is kept by Kohli and de Villiers for the second wicket.
As for the highest opening partnership record, it is owned by KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock, who created an unbeaten 210-run partnership for the first wicket for Lucknow Super Giants against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2022.
Also, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan achieved 210 runs for the opening wicket for Gujarat Titans against Chennai Super Kings in 2024. Both the stands hold the record of the highest opening partnership in the IPL.
| Record | Partnership | Runs | Team | Opposition | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest opening stand | KL Rahul & Quinton de Kock | 210* | LSG | KKR | 2022 |
| Highest opening stand | Shubman Gill & Sai Sudharsan | 210 | GT | CSK | 2024 |
Highest Partnership by Each Wicket in IPL
There are some partnership records which take into account for what wicket the runs were scored. This allows understanding more about batting pairs in the IPL history.
The highest partnership for the second wicket is still held by Kohli and de Villiers with 229 runs. As for the first wicket, the record is 210 runs, while the records of middle and lower-order wickets are much lower since in most cases teams lost players much sooner than they would manage to create such partnerships.
| Wicket | Highest Partnership |
|---|---|
| 1st wicket | 210* |
| 2nd wicket | 229 |
| 3rd wicket | 165 |
| 4th wicket | 144 |
| 5th wicket | 134* |
| 6th wicket | 122* |
| 7th wicket | 100 |
| 8th wicket | 73* |
| 9th wicket | 88* |
| 10th wicket | 55* |
Highest Partnership in IPL 2026
The biggest partnership of IPL 2026 season was the 220-run partnership between KL Rahul and Nitish Rana for Delhi Capitals against Punjab Kings.
This was one of the key batting partnerships of the season. KL Rahul remained unbeaten at 152 runs, while Nitish Rana scored 91 runs, and they helped DC score 264/2. Also, this was the highest partnership in the history of Delhi Capitals in IPL.
Although this partnership was just nine runs away from the all-time record, the partnership of Kohli and de Villiers of 229 still remained unbroken at the end of the season 2026.
Highest Partnership in IPL by Indian Players
IPL witnessed various partnerships between Indian batsmen, foreign batsmen and between Indian and foreign batsmen. In the case of the highest record, it has been shared by the Indian-South African duo of Kohli and de Villiers.
In the list of the highest partnerships, a few notable partnerships have included many Indian batting combinations. 220 of KL Rahul and Nitish Rana in 2026 is the closest challenge to the overall record, whereas Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan have made it into the list with two partnerships above 200 runs.
It means that the IPL’s highest partnerships list is not limited to any particular period or type of batting partnership.
Why Are 200-Plus Partnerships So Rare in the IPL?
Partnership of 200 or more runs is extremely challenging in T20 cricket due to the 120 legal delivery innings duration. Batsmen should not only be quick in scoring but should also be able to preserve their wicket.
Several things usually have to go right:
- Both batters must survive the early overs.
- The pair needs to maintain a high scoring rate.
- Strike rotation has to remain efficient.
- Boundaries must come regularly without creating too many risks.
- The batting side needs enough deliveries remaining after the partnership is established.
- The opposition must struggle to break the stand with wickets or effective bowling changes.
This is why only a small number of partnerships have crossed the 200-run mark in IPL history.
Highest Partnership vs Highest Team Score
There is certain relationship between these two records, but there is still the difference. Highest partnership record is based on runs scored by two batsmen during this period. Highest team score includes all the efforts of all the batsmen, extras and partnerships in the inning.
Thus, even if Kohli and de Villiers had made their record 229-run partnership in 2016, RCB closed their innings at 248/3. It means that there was still room for improvement for the whole team. It means that team can accumulate high scores without breaking the partnership record.
What Makes a Great IPL Partnership?
Of course, the best partnership can include more than mere aggressive play by the batsmen. Best pairings understand when to go for the assault and when to rotate the strike.
Communication between the batsmen is also important. Being able to run between the wickets properly, judge boundaries, adjust to the changing bowling strategies and concentrate throughout the entire duration of the partnership can make a big difference.
Moreover, the styles of Kohli and de Villiers matched each other really well. They managed to keep a high run-rate but did not risk their wickets too often, making their partnership especially hard to break.
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Conclusion
The highest partnership in IPL history is 229 runs made by Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Gujarat Lions in 2016. It remains one of the most impressive batting records in the tournament. 220-run partnership made by KL Rahul and Nitish Rana in 2026 proved that the record is still in reach. With modern IPL being more and more aggressive, another partnership over 200 runs might appear anytime soon. Right now, however, Kohli and de Villiers are still the owners of the IPL partnership records.
Also, Read About: Highest Chase in IPL | Lowest Score in IPL | Highest Team Score in IPL