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 batter in IPL history to score five consecutive half-centuries after yet another fluent knock against Chennai Super Kings. Sudharsan reached the landmark during GT’s clash against CSK in Ahmedabad, bringing up his fifty in just 35 balls. The left-hander completed the milestone with a single on the very first ball of the 12th over as Gujarat’s openers once again dismantled opposition bowling attacks with alarming ease. Read Full Story GT vs CSK, IPL 2026: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD And in the process, Sudharsan 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 batter, achieving the feat for Delhi back in the 2012 season. Overall, only four players in IPL history have now recorded five straight 50-plus scores Virender Sehwag (2012) Jos Buttler (2018) David Warner (2019) Sai Sudharsan (2026) The scary part for the rest of the league is that Sudharsan still does not look close to slowing down. The GT opener has now piled up seven fifties and one century in IPL 2026, firmly placing himself among the leading Orange Cap contenders and once again becoming the batting engine behind Gujarat Titans’ superb season. And this latest knock came as part of yet another dominant opening partnership alongside Shubman Gill. Already through to the playoffs, Gujarat Titans once again got off to a blazing start at the Narendra Modi Stadium as Gill and Sudharsan stitched together a commanding 125-run opening stand against Chennai Super Kings. Gill attacked first with a sparkling 64 off just 37 deliveries before falling to Spencer Johnson, while Sudharsan calmly carried on doing what he has almost made routine this season — batting deep and punishing attacks without looking rushed. SAI SUDHARSAN JOINS ELITE IPL FIFTY CLUB Sudharsan’s run across the last five innings has been absurdly consistent even by IPL standards. Before facing Chennai Super Kings, the left-hander had already registered scores of 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 streak. The bigger picture around Sudharsan’s season only becomes more impressive when looking at Gujarat Titans’ opening pair as a whole. Both Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan have now crossed the 600-run mark in IPL 2026, making them the first pair in IPL history to produce two 600-plus run scorers from the same franchise in back-to-back seasons. The duo had already achieved the same milestone together during IPL 2025 as well. Several franchises in the past have produced two 600-plus scorers in a single season. But no team had ever managed to repeat it with the exact same opening pair across consecutive years. That consistency at the top has effectively become the foundation of Gujarat Titans’ batting dominance. Sudharsan’s own IPL 2026 journey has also been filled with major landmarks already. After beginning the season with just 13 runs against Punjab Kings, the left-hander quickly exploded into form with 73 off 44 balls against Rajasthan Royals His first IPL century of the season against Royal Challengers Bengaluru A match-winning 87 against Chennai Super Kings in Chennai Multiple fifty-plus scores through the middle phase of the season Now, with another historic record alongside Sehwag added to his season, Sudharsan’s IPL 2026 is quickly beginning to look like the year he fully established himself among the league’s elite batters. IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Player Stats | Purple Cap | Orange Cap | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score Ends