In a format where risk-taking has become the norm, Sai Sudharsan hit a new high in consistency, taking him past Virat Kohli and matching an iconic IPL record held by Virender Sehwag, which happened in the game between the Gujarat Titans and the Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Sudharsan scored a fifth consecutive half-century in IPL 2026 in the match against Chennai Super Kings, getting to the mark in 35 balls. The streak began at the start of this month, scoring 57 against the Punjab Kings at home, 55 against the Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur, 61 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Ahmedabad and an unbeaten 53 against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens.
The knock took him past Kohli as he matched the IPL record for most consecutive fifties. Sehwag is the only other Indian in the list, having achieved it in 212, followed by Jos Buttler in 2018 and David Warner in 2019.
IPL 2026, GT vs CSK LIVE Score
The knock also took him to 600 runs this season. This is the second time in his IPL career he has scored 600 or more runs in a single season, the previous being in 2025, when he amassed 759 runs in 15 innings to win the Orange Cap. As it stands, the right-handed batter reclaimed the Orange Cap this season as well with his half-century knock, eclipsing his teammate Shubman Gill, who had scored a fifty himself.
Gujarat, who have already qualified for the playoffs, made an impressive start to the game against Chennai, who are still in the hunt for that final playoffs berth. The openers, Sudharsan and Gill, stitched a 125-run partnership in 74 balls.
The 2022 champions are looking to confirm a top-two finish with a win in their final game. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru are the only side yet to have confirmed it in this IPL season. However, a win against CSK entirely won’t guarantee that. They need to win by a big margin to steer clear of third-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad, who also have 16 points from 13 matches, in terms of net run-rate.
