It is important for an opening batsman to have a good start for his team in any cricketing format. Especially in T20s, Opening batters are trusted to make the best use of the powerplay overs, and when they get settled, they might take great chances against the opposition bowlers.
It is very rare for a batsman who walks in as an opener to stay not out until the very end of the innings. In the Indian Premier League, when you have quality bowlers bowling on both ends, the ‘staying unbeaten’ business becomes more challenging as only very few batters can take the responsibility on their shoulders, thereby producing that rare feat.
This article will reveal the list of opening batters who have stayed unbeaten most times in the IPL tournament.
Most Not-Outs by Opening Batsmen in IPL
| BATSMEN | INNINGS AS OPENNER | NOT-OUTS |
|---|---|---|
| Shikhar Dhawan | 197 | 23 |
| Virat Kohli | 98 | 15 |
| Chris Gayle | 122 | 15 |
| David Warner | 155 | 15 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 119 | 14 |
| KL Rahul | 85 | 13 |
| Gautam Gambhir | 123 | 11 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 74 | 10 |
| Jacques Kallis | 53 | 8 |
| Faf du Plessis | 95 | 8 |
Stats Insights
Shikhar Dhawan, the only batsman to score 2000 runs for two different IPL teams, also leads this list of opening batters with the most not-outs.
KL Rahul, the Lucknow Super Giants captain, has been phenomenal with the bat in the last few years, and he has the best possibility to top the above list of players in the coming years.
KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock have registered the first and only instance of both opening batters staying unbeaten for the full 20 overs of the team’s innings. The LSG pair scored an unbeaten 210 runs against KKR in IPL 2022, which is now the highest opening stand by any pair in IPL.
Talking about the record-opening partnerships, some bowlers have been more effective against the openers. Harbhajan Singh tops the list of bowlers with more dismissals of No.1 & 2 batters in IPL.
