Top 5 Second Wicket Partnerships In T20 Cricket

Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers (x.com)Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers (x.com)

The high-scoring nature of a T20 innings is often characterized by the start it receives at the top of the order. The onus for the same falls upon the second-wicket batters in case of an early setback. Big and influential second-wicket partnerships not only mend a struggling start but also often dictates the remainder of the game’s trajectory.

Here at OneCricket, we take a look at five of the highest second-wicket stands ever recorded in the history of T20 matches.

5. Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum - 201*

Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum - 201* (x)Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum - 201* (x)

Opening the innings for Rangpur Riders in the BPL 2017 final against Dhaka Dynamites, Chris Gayle mounted an unbroken 201-run partnership for the second wicket with Brendon McCullum. The two T20 behemoths formed forces in just the second over of the match following the early dismissal of Johnson Charles. Gayle went on to belt 18 sixes and five boundaries to smear 146 unbeaten runs from just 69 deliveries. 

McCullum, meanwhile, struck a half-century off 43 balls with four boundaries and three sixes. Their collective batting efforts blazed the Riders to a monumental total of 206-1 off 20 overs, thus setting up a title-winning 57-run victory over the Dynamites.

4. Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli - 204*

Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli - 204* (x)Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli - 204* (x)

In match number 67 of IPL 2012, RCB opener Chris Gayle and number three batter Virat Kohli scorched Delhi Daredevils attack with an unbeaten 204-run partnership for the second wicket. Their collective assault over the Daredevils bowlers in Delhi set up a 215-run total for the RCB upon batting first. Gayle blasted 128* from just 62 balls in the innings with seven boundaries and 13 sixes. 

Kohli, on the other hand, carved 73* runs off 53 balls with nine boundaries and a six to ensure that the Daredevils bowlers remained wicketless until 20 overs since the early dismissal of Tillakaratne Dilshan.

3. Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh - 206

Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh - 206 (x)Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh - 206 (x)

Australian batters Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh feasted upon RCB bowlers while turning up for the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) back during the 2011 edition of the IPL. After opening batter Paul Valthaty was removed by Charl Langeveldt in just the fourth over of the innings, Gilchrist and Marsh powered the Kings XI to a monumental 232-2 from 20 overs. 

The legendary wicketkeeper-batter himself clubbed 106 runs from 55 balls to tonk his second IPL century, while Marsh listed 79 runs from 49 balls with seven boundaries and five sixes. To date, their joint batting belligerence from that high-scoring May 2011 evening remains one of the highest second-wicket stands in IPL as well as in T20 history.

2. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers - 215*

Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers - 215* (x)Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers - 215* (x)

RCB legends Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers brutally teamed up over Mumbai Indians bowlers during an IPL game from 2015. After Chris Gayle’s early exit, the two batters shared 215* for the second wicket as RCB charted 235-1 by the completion of their 20 overs. 

AB de Villiers cracked a scintillating 133* from just 59 balls with 19 boundaries and four sixes, and the South African batting heavyweight seems to have taken a special liking to a young Jasprit Bumrah through the course of his whirlwind knock. Kohli also pounded an unbeaten 82 from 50 deliveries at a strike-rate of 164 in front of a near-capacity Wankhede crowd.

1. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers - 229

Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers - 229 (x)Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers - 229 (x)

A year after their monumental 215-run partnership against Mumbai Indians, RCB zealots Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers once again turned up the heat, this time taking the attack to the Gujarat Lions bowlers in match number 44 of the IPL 2016 season. 

Both batters plundered majestic centuries, with Villiers top-scoring in the innings through his 52-ball 129*. Kohli smacked 109 from 55 balls and his dismissal in the final over brought an end to their 229-run second-wicket partnership, thus setting up a world record stand in T20 history.