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On this day in 2016,:Kohli and De Villiers set the highest 2nd wicket partnership, scoring 229 runs for RCB against Gujarat Lions.
On This Day In 2016: Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers broke their own IPL record set previously for the 2nd wicket. (Image: Twitter/abdevilliers17)
On This Day In 2016: Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers were extraordinary players, and when they batted together for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the world paused everything to watch them on TV.
On this day in 2016, the deadly duo produced the highest partnership for the second wicket in the history of men’s T20 cricket. The then RCB skipper along with his team’s South African maverick and biggest match-winner set an unbelievable stand that hammered the now-defunct Gujarat Lions in the 2016 edition of the Indian Premier League.
After losing their opener Chris Gayle early for 6, the RCB went on an absolute rampage with the bat as Kohli joined hands with De Villiers for a gigantic 229-run stand off just 96 deliveries. The duo lit up the M Chinnaswamy Stadium and sent the Lions on a leather hunt.
Kohli, who was at his best in the IPL in 2016, recorded a scintillating knock of 109 off 55 balls featuring 5 fours and 8 sixes. The former RCB captain’s tremendous blitz could only have been matched and surpassed by the inimitable De Villiers. The Proteas right-hander blasted an unbeaten 129 from 52 deliveries, including 10 fours and 12 sixes and took the game completely away from the opposition.
Notably, the remarkable Kohli-De Villiers duo broke their own record for the highest 2nd wicket partnership in the IPL, having previously built an unbeaten stand of 215 during a 2015 IPL game versus the Mumbai Indians. Their 229-run partnership versus the Lions also remains the highest partnership for any wicket in the Indian Premier League.
Praveen Kumar, with his two wickets, was the only bright spot for the Lions on a day where they had no answers to the brutal Kohli-De Villiers assault.
After RCB posted an insurmountable 248/3 in their 20 overs, the Lions collapsed to an embarrassing 104 all out with experienced leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (3/19) and pacer Chris Jordan (4/11) running riot in the second half for RCB.
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