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New Delhi: Gujarat Titans (GT) opener Sai Sudharsan breached the 500-run mark in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Tuesday with a brilliant 61-run knock off 44 balls against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Sudharsan now has 501 runs in 12 innings so far this season at an excellent average of 41.75 and a strike rate of over 155, including five fifties and a century.

One of the most consistent openers in the IPL over the last few years, Sudharsan has scored over 500 runs in the last three seasons. He joined the likes of Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle in an elite list by becoming only the sixth batter to score 500-plus runs in three consecutive seasons of the IPL. DC opener KL Rahul leads the elite list, having scored over 500 runs for five seasons in a row from 2018 to 2022.

Rahul is followed by former Sunrisers Hyderabad opener David Warner, who managed to breach the 500-run mark for four seasons in a row from 2014 to 2017. Sudharsan, Kohli, Gayle and Shikhar Dhawan are the only other four batters to have scored more than 500 runs in three consecutive seasons of the IPL.

Batters with 500-plus runs in consecutive IPL seasons:

5 – KL Rahul (2018 – 22)

4 – David Warner (2014 – 17)

3* – Sai Sudharsan (2024-26)

3 – Virat Kohli (2023 – 25)

3 – Chris Gayle (2011 – 13)

3 – Shikhar Dhawan (2019 – 21)

Six batters have managed to go past 500 runs in three consecutive seasons of the IPL, however, Gayle and Sudharsan are the only batters to have managed back-to-back 500-plus seasons at a strike rate of over 140. Sudharsan has been striking at over 150 in the last two seasons, highlighting his consistency and ability to fire all guns blazing at the top.

Sudharsan closes the gap in Orange Cap race

Sudharsan closed the gap on the Orange Cap table with his terrific 61 off 44 balls against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday. The GT opener is currently second on the list of highest run-getters in the IPL 2026 with 501 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 155.10. He is only behind SRH’s Heinrich Klaasen (507) in the Orange Cap race in IPL 2026.