Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowlers endured a torrid outing during their final league-stage clash of the Indian Premier League 2026 against Sunrisers Hyderabad as SRH piled up a gigantic 255-run total in Hyderabad.
However, amid the chaos created by the RCB bowlers, star batter Virat Kohli achieved a sensational milestone during the chase and etched his name in T20 cricket history.
Virat Kohli becomes batter involved in most 50-plus stands in men’s T20s
During the run chase, Kohli added yet another crucial partnership to his illustrious T20 career and became the batter involved in the most 50-plus stands in men’s T20 cricket.
The RCB superstar overtook former England batter Alex Hales to move to the top of the elite list.
Most 50-plus stands in men’s T20s:
211 – Virat Kohli
210 – Alex Hales
200 – David Warner
196 – Babar Azam
191 – Chris Gayle
Kohli has consistently dominated the shortest format for more than a decade and continues to break records across franchise and international cricket.
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The former RCB captain once again showcased his reliability at the top of the order despite the pressure of a massive run chase against SRH.
SRH dominate with the bat as RCB’s top-two hopes come under threat
Earlier in the match, SRH’s explosive batting lineup completely dismantled the RCB bowling attack after electing to bat first.
Abhishek Sharma smashed 56 off 22 balls while Ishan Kishan hammered 79 off 46 deliveries.
Later, Heinrich Klaasen added a brutal 51 off 24 balls and Nitish Kumar Reddy chipped in with 29 off just 12 deliveries as SRH finished on 255 runs.
The huge target also made RCB’s top-two qualification scenario extremely complicated.
Also Read: IPL 2026: Abhishek Sharma's historic feat makes him only second player in the World to do this
To stay inside the top two positions and secure a place in Qualifier 1, RCB needed to score at least 166 runs in the chase.
Failure to cross that mark would push the Bengaluru franchise into the Eliminator route instead of giving them the safety net of Qualifier 1 in the IPL 2026 playoffs.