The future of Indian batting looks to be in safe hands as young stars continue to etch their names into the IPL record books alongside legends of the game and veterans who have dominated the league for years. Sai Sudharsan, the 24-year-old opener from Chennai, continues to rewrite milestones with Gujarat Titans and on May 12 added yet another achievement after a composed masterclass against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The top of the table saw a shift after an 82-run win for GT at the Narendra Modi Stadium, in a contest that looked high-voltage on paper but quickly turned into a one-sided affair. Sudharsan’s 61 off 44 balls anchored the innings after early dismissals of skipper Shubman Gill and veteran Jos Buttler. The innings was later boosted by Washington Sundar, whose fluent half-century helped GT reach 168 on a surface that offered assistance to bowlers.
GT’s bowlers then complemented the batting effort perfectly, restricting an explosive SRH line-up to just 86, which also turned out to be the franchise’s lowest-ever total in IPL history.
Sudharsan, meanwhile, continued his remarkable consistency despite a relatively slow start to the season. His knock of 61 also marked his third consecutive 500+ run IPL campaign, adding him to a rare and elite list of batters in the tournament’s history who have achieved the feat in at least three straight seasons.
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Now, the young batter finds himself alongside some of the biggest names to have played in the IPL. David Warner leads the chart with six consecutive 500+ run seasons between 2014 and 2020, followed by KL Rahul, who achieved the milestone across five straight campaigns from 2018 to 2022.
Sudharsan joins an elite group featuring Virat Kohli (2023–25), Shikhar Dhawan (2019–21) and Chris Gayle (2011–13), all of whom have registered three consecutive 500+ run IPL seasons.
Sai Sudharsan matches Chris Gayle’s feat
What makes the achievement even more special is that Sudharsan has become only the second batter after Gayle to score 500+ runs in three consecutive IPL seasons while maintaining a strike rate above 140. In today’s fast-evolving T20 format, where intent and acceleration are as important as consistency, that balance adds further weight to his numbers.
His strike rates over the last three seasons underline that evolution: 141.28 in 2024, 156.17 in 2025, and 155.10 in the ongoing 2026 campaign. The ability to maintain such consistency while striking at such a tempo places him in rare company among modern-day IPL greats.
Sudharsan will now look to carry this form forward as Gujarat Titans push for a top-four finish and another shot at the title, while also staying firmly in contention for a second Orange Cap after winning it in IPL 2025 with a career-best 759-run season.