Virat Kohli continued his record-breaking IPL 2026 campaign, equalling Alex Hales' all-time record of 210 fifty-plus partnerships in men's T20 cricket, while also becoming the first batter in IPL history to register nine 500-plus seasons and extending his tally to 138 fifty-plus partnerships in the tournament.

IMAGE: Virat Kohli has aggregated 500-plus runs in four consecutive IPL seasons. Photograph: BCCI

Key Points

• Virat Kohli equalled Alex Hales’ record of 210 fifty-plus partnerships in men’s T20 cricket.
• Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal registered their sixth 50-plus stand of IPL 2026.
• Kohli completed his ninth 500-plus IPL season, the most by any batter in tournament history.

Virat Kohli continued his remarkable run in T20 cricket as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru batting stalwart drew level with Alex Hales for the most 50-plus partnerships in men’s T20 history. Both batters now have 210 fifty-plus stands in the format.

Kohli achieved the feat during RCB’s IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings in Dharamshala on Sunday. He shared a 76-run stand for the second wicket with Devdutt Padikkal, once again highlighting his consistency at the top of the order.

Kohli-Padikkal Partnership Creates History

The partnership with Padikkal was the duo’s sixth 50-plus stand of the season, making them the joint second-most successful non-opening pair in a single IPL edition. Kohli and AB de Villiers still hold the record with seven such stands during the 2016 season.

The list also features some of the IPL's most celebrated batting combinations, including Michael Hussey and Suresh Raina for Chennai Super Kings in 2013, as well as Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma for Mumbai Indians in 2025. Kohli has now been involved in 138 fifty-plus partnerships in IPL history, comfortably ahead of Rohit Sharma, who has 107.

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