Sai Sudharsan joins Virender Sehwag in elite IPL club with special fifty vs CSK

Sai Sudharsan continued his ridiculous IPL 2026 consistency by joining Virender Sehwag in one of the tournament’s most exclusive batting clubs on Thursday night. The Gujarat Titans opener became only the second Indian batsman in IPL history to score five consecutive half-centuries after another fluent knock against Chennai Super Kings.

Sudharsan achieved the landmark during GT’s clash against CSK in Ahmedabad when he brought up his fifty in just 35 balls. The left-hander completed the milestone with a single off the very first ball of the 12th over as the Gujarat openers were once again dismantled by the opposition bowling attacks with alarming ease.

GT vs CSK, IPL 2026: MAIN | SCORECARD

And in the process, Sudharsan has placed himself alongside some of the biggest names the IPL has seen.

Before him, only Virender Sehwag had managed five consecutive IPL fifties as an Indian batsman, which he achieved for Delhi in the 2012 season.

Overall, only four players in IPL history have scored five straight scores above 50:

Virender Sehwag (2012)
Jos Buttler (2018)
David Warner (2019)
Sai Sudharsan (2026)

The scary thing for the rest of the league is that Sudharsan still doesn’t look like slowing down.

The GT opener has now amassed seven fifties and one century in IPL 2026, firmly placing himself among the leading contenders for the Orange Cap and once again becoming the batting engine behind Gujarat Titans’ brilliant season.

And that latest knock came as part of another dominant opening partnership alongside Shubman Gill.

Gujarat Titans, who have already qualified for the play-offs, got off to a fresh start at the Narendra Modi Stadium as Gill and Sudharsan combined for 125 runs against Chennai Super Kings.

Gill struck first with a scintillating 64 off just 37 deliveries before succumbing to Spencer Johnson, while Sudharsan calmly continued to do what has almost become his routine this season – batting deep and punishing attacks without looking rushed.

SAI SUDHARSAN JOINS ELITE IPL FIFTY CLUB

Sudharsan’s run in the last five innings was absurdly consistent even by IPL standards.

Before taking on Chennai Super Kings, the left-hander had already scored:

57 vs Punjab Kings
55 vs Rajasthan Royals
61 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
53* vs Kolkata Knight Riders

And then came another composed half-century against CSK to complete the five-match series.

The bigger picture surrounding Sudharsan’s season only becomes more impressive when looking at the opening pair of Gujarat Titans as a whole.

Both Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan have now crossed the 600-run mark in IPL 2026, becoming the first pair in IPL history to produce two 600-plus runs from the same franchise in back-to-back seasons.

The duo have already achieved the same milestone together during IPL 2025.

Few franchises in the past have produced two 600-plus scorers in a single season. But no team has ever been able to repeat that with the exact same starting lineup in back-to-back years.

This consistency at the top has effectively become the basis of Gujarat Titans’ batting dominance.

Sudharsan’s own IPL 2026 journey has also already been filled with highlights.

After opening the season with just 13 runs against the Punjab Kings, the left-hander quickly exploded into form:

73 off 44 balls against Rajasthan Royals
His first IPL century of the season against Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Match winning 87 against Chennai Super Kings in Chennai

More than fifty points during the middle stage of the season

Now, with another all-time record alongside Sehwag added to his season, Sudharsan’s IPL 2026 is quickly starting to look like the year he fully established himself among the league’s elite batsmen.

– The end

Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

21 May 2026 23:36 IST

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