OTD | AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli set the record for highest T20 stand for second wicket in 2016

High-scoring encounters in the Indian Premier League (IPL) are no longer a visual treat. Until last year, a total of 200+ was considered a very challenging total, but the ongoing 2024 season has changed all those perspectives. T20 cricket has risen to a new dimension, with batters aiming for 300 on the scoreboard while building a massive partnership in the process.

However, looking back, there was one team that played with such a mindset in the past – Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), formerly known as Royal Challengers Bangalore. They have not won a single trophy despite being part of the league since 2008. However, IPL is unimaginable without them as they are always at the forefront of providing entertainment.

If so, 2016 will be a season that will live forever in the hearts of cricket fans, especially the RCBians. They had a poor start to the campaign but finished the league stage as the second-best team on the back of five straight wins. They continued their dominance and reached the final but suffered an 8-run heartbreaking defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

How did that turnaround happen? Well, the credit goes to their formidable batting department, especially the two greats, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. They were the brothers of destruction in 2016 and their peak was clearly visible in the match against Gujarat Lions. Batting first at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the dangerous duo showed no mercy and took the opposition bowlers to the cleaners.

Gujarat Lions bowlers go clueless against brothers of destruction

Dhawal Kulkarni gave the visitors an early breakthrough in the form of Chris Gayle’s wicket and the Bengaluru crowd fell silent. However, it was just a matter of time before the fans erupted in joy as Kohli and de Villiers put on a scintillating show on a Saturday afternoon. The then RCB captain had a slow start to his innings while his partner on the other end cruised to a 43-ball century in the 16th over.

Kohli was batting at 52 off 41 balls, but the right-hander soon jumped on the accelerator and raced to 95 off 51 just balls. The RCB opener smashed left-arm wrist spinner Shivil Kaushik for 30 runs in the 19th over, with the help of four sixes and a four. He was dismissed by Praveen Kumar on the second last ball of the innings, but only after stitching a record partnership with de Villiers.

The duo had put on 229 runs for the second wicket – still the highest T20 stand for the second wicket. This is also the highest partnership for any wicket in the IPL history. Kohli’s 109 off 55 balls and de Villiers’ 129 not out off 52 balls took their team to 248/3. In reply, the RCB bowlers complimented the efforts of their batters as they bowled out the Lions for a mere 104 runs to guide the hosts to a massive 143-run victory. 

Also read: Mumbai Indians defeated Chennai Super Kings in 2019