Most Not-Outs by Openers in IPL History: Consistency Records

Opening the batting in the IPL gives a player the maximum opportunity to score runs, but it also comes with the greatest exposure to the opposition attack. Openers face the new ball, swing, high pace and aggressive Powerplay fields before dealing with spin and death bowling later in the innings. Remaining unbeaten from that position is therefore rare.

Virat Kohli holds the record for the most not-outs while opening the batting in IPL history. He has remained unbeaten 24 times as an opener, moving ahead of Shikhar Dhawan, who finished his opening career with 23 not-outs.

Chris Gayle, David Warner, KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane form the next group with 15 unbeaten opening innings each. Their records came through very different methods. Gayle often overwhelmed bowling attacks with sixes, Warner attacked the Powerplay, while Rahul and Rahane relied more heavily on batting deep.

A not-out for an opener can mean several things. In a successful chase, it usually means the batter finished the target. When batting first, it can mean carrying the innings through all 20 overs. Both require a combination of scoring ability, fitness and risk management that few IPL openers have maintained consistently.

Most Not-Outs by Openers in IPL History

The table below covers innings specifically played as an opener. Career not-outs at other batting positions are not included.

The average column refers to batting performance while opening rather than a player’s overall IPL career average. That distinction matters for players such as Kohli and Rahane, who have also spent significant periods batting elsewhere in the order.

Virat Kohli – 24 Not-Outs as an IPL Opener

Virat Kohli has developed from a middle-order IPL batter into one of the greatest openers in the competition.

He has remained unbeaten 24 times while opening and averages close to 48 from that position.

Kohli’s ability to bat through chases explains much of the record.

He rarely approaches a target as a simple Powerplay hitter. Instead, he uses the first six overs to establish control, rotates strike through the middle phase and then accelerates once the required rate becomes clear.

That method has produced several memorable unbeaten chases.

His 108 not out against Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016 remains one of his finest. Kohli controlled a chase of 192 and completed the target with seven wickets remaining.

He added another unbeaten century in 2026 when he scored 105 not out against Kolkata Knight Riders during a successful chase.

Kohli’s nine centuries as an IPL opener also show that his not-outs are not simply low-risk innings. He has repeatedly combined survival with high scoring.

Shikhar Dhawan – 23 Not-Outs

Shikhar Dhawan remained unbeaten 23 times in 202 IPL innings as an opener.

No player has opened more IPL innings than Dhawan.

His record was built through longevity and consistency across several franchises, including Delhi, Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings.

Dhawan’s style suited long innings.

He scored quickly through the off side and square of the wicket without relying entirely on sixes. That allowed him to maintain a healthy scoring rate while reducing unnecessary risk.

His 101 not out against Chennai Super Kings in 2020 is one of the best examples.

Delhi Capitals needed 180 in Sharjah. Dhawan batted through the chase, reached his first IPL hundred and remained unbeaten while Axar Patel finished the match with a late burst.

Dhawan eventually retired with 6,362 runs specifically as an IPL opener, still one of the highest totals ever recorded from the position.

Chris Gayle – 15 Not-Outs

Chris Gayle’s 15 unbeaten opening innings include some of the most destructive batting performances in IPL history.

His 175 not out against Pune Warriors India in 2013 remains the highest individual score in IPL history.

Gayle faced only 66 deliveries, smashed 13 fours and 17 sixes, and reached his century in just 30 balls.

It was a perfect example of why his not-out record cannot be interpreted only as consistency.

Gayle sometimes remained unbeaten because bowlers simply could not dismiss him before the innings ended.

He scored 4,480 runs as an IPL opener at an average above 41 and a strike rate above 150.

His six centuries while opening place him among the most dangerous top-order batters the league has seen.

Gayle’s approach was completely different from Dhawan’s. He minimized running when possible and turned boundary-hitting into his primary method of controlling an innings.

Yet both ended with 15 or more unbeaten opening knocks.

KL Rahul – 15 Not-Outs

KL Rahul has remained unbeaten 15 times while opening and has the highest batting average among the leading players on this list.

His average above 49 from the position reflects how difficult he has been to dismiss once set.

Rahul has represented several franchises, including Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings, Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals.

His 132 not out for Punjab against RCB in 2020 remains one of the greatest unbeaten innings by an Indian opener in IPL history.

He struck 14 fours and seven sixes and carried Punjab to 206/3.

Rahul has also been involved in one of the IPL’s rarest opening achievements.

In 2022, he and Quinton de Kock batted through all 20 overs for Lucknow Super Giants against Kolkata Knight Riders.

De Kock made 140 not out and Rahul 68 not out as LSG finished on 210/0.

It remains the only IPL innings in which both openers completed the full 20 overs unbeaten.

David Warner – 15 Not-Outs

David Warner also has 15 not-outs as an opener.

He combines that figure with 5,910 runs from the position, making him one of the most prolific overseas openers in IPL history.

Warner’s numbers are particularly impressive because his natural style was aggressive.

He did not usually aim simply to preserve his wicket.

During his peak years with Sunrisers Hyderabad, Warner attacked the Powerplay while still regularly batting into the final overs.

His unbeaten 100 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2019 came during a remarkable partnership with Jonny Bairstow.

Bairstow scored 114, while Warner completed his century and remained unbeaten as SRH posted 231/2.

Warner also made 93 not out in the 2016 Qualifier against Gujarat Lions, carrying SRH through a difficult chase and into the final.

That innings combined everything a top-order not-out should represent: responsibility, scoring rate and match-winning value.

Ajinkya Rahane – 15 Not-Outs

Ajinkya Rahane shares the 15-not-out mark with Gayle, Warner and Rahul.

His style was built around traditional opening skills.

Rahane relied on timing, placement and controlled strokeplay rather than constant power-hitting.

He produced some of his best IPL cricket while opening for Rajasthan Royals.

His unbeaten 103 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2012 was his first IPL century.

He later scored 105 not out against Delhi Capitals in 2019.

Rahane’s overall opening strike rate is lower than those of Gayle, Warner or Kohli, but his ability to occupy the crease made him an effective anchor in an earlier IPL era when totals around 160 or 170 were often competitive.

Most Not-Outs by Openers in IPL Chases

Chasing gives an opening batter the clearest route to an unbeaten innings.

Unlike batting first, the innings ends as soon as the target is reached. An opener who stays at the crease therefore does not necessarily have to survive all 20 overs.

Kohli is one of the strongest examples.

His successful chase record includes unbeaten scores such as 108*, 100*, 70*, 69* and 105* across different seasons.

During the 2026 season alone, he remained unbeaten on 69 against Sunrisers Hyderabad and later 105 against Kolkata Knight Riders in major RCB chases.

David Warner also produced several important unbeaten chases.

His 93 not out against Gujarat Lions in the 2016 Qualifier remains especially significant because SRH were under pressure after losing wickets around him.

Shikhar Dhawan’s 101 not out against CSK in 2020 and KL Rahul’s repeated unbeaten fifties and hundreds are other examples of openers completing the job rather than leaving the chase to the middle order.

Not-outs in successful chases should therefore be viewed as a useful finishing statistic for openers, not merely an average-boosting number.

Most Unbeaten Centuries by IPL Openers

Several of the IPL’s greatest opening centuries ended with the batter still at the crease.

Gayle’s unbeaten hundreds stand out because of their scale.

His 175* remains unmatched.

Kohli, meanwhile, has built the strongest combination of total centuries and not-outs as an opener. By the end of the 2026 season, he had nine IPL centuries from the opening position.

Chris Gayle’s 175 Not Out

No discussion of unbeaten IPL opening innings can begin anywhere else.

Royal Challengers Bangalore faced Pune Warriors in Bengaluru in 2013.

Gayle scored 175 not out from 66 balls.

He hit 17 sixes and 13 fours.

RCB reached 263/5, at the time the highest team total in IPL history.

Gayle’s innings remains the league’s highest individual score and one of the most extreme examples of an opener carrying his bat through a full innings.

The most remarkable part was his acceleration.

He reached 100 in only 30 balls and still had enough time to add another 75.

Quinton de Kock’s 140 Not Out

Quinton de Kock produced one of the finest carry-through innings in 2022.

Lucknow Super Giants batted first against Kolkata Knight Riders.

De Kock scored 140 not out from 70 balls.

KL Rahul remained unbeaten on 68 at the other end.

The pair added 210 without losing a wicket.

It remains one of the highest opening partnerships in IPL history and the unique example of both openers batting through the complete 20-over innings without being dismissed.

De Kock hit 10 sixes and 10 fours.

His innings became even more important when LSG eventually won by only two runs.

KL Rahul’s 132 Not Out

Rahul’s 132 not out against RCB in 2020 was, at the time, the highest IPL score by an Indian batter.

He reached the century in 62 balls before accelerating sharply at the death.

Punjab finished on 206/3.

Rahul struck 42 runs from his final nine balls.

RCB were then bowled out for 109.

The innings demonstrated why Rahul’s opening average is so high: when he gets through the Powerplay, he has frequently converted starts into extremely large scores.

Shikhar Dhawan’s 101 Not Out

Dhawan’s maiden IPL century came after more than a decade in the tournament.

Delhi Capitals were chasing 180 against Chennai Super Kings in 2020.

Dhawan lost partners but continued rotating strike and finding boundaries.

He reached 101 not out from 58 balls.

Delhi needed 17 from the final over, where Axar Patel hit three sixes to finish the chase.

Dhawan’s hundred remains one of the best examples of an opener holding a chase together from first ball to last.

Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 Not Out

Sachin Tendulkar scored the only IPL century of his career against Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011.

He made exactly 100 not out from 66 balls while opening for Mumbai Indians.

Tendulkar’s IPL career was much shorter than those of Kohli, Dhawan or Warner, but he still registered 10 not-outs in 74 opening innings.

He scored 2,227 runs from the position at an average of 34.80.

His unbeaten century showed that the classical opening approach could still produce major T20 innings through placement and timing rather than constant six-hitting.

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 101 Not Out

Ruturaj Gaikwad scored an unbeaten 101 against Rajasthan Royals in 2021.

He reached his century with a six from the final ball of CSK’s innings.

Although Chennai eventually lost the match, the knock strengthened Gaikwad’s Orange Cap campaign.

He finished that season with 635 runs.

Gaikwad has since become one of the most consistent Indian IPL openers, reaching double figures for career not-outs while maintaining an opening average around the mid-40s.

Why Not-Outs Are Rare for IPL Openers

An opener has to survive longer than any other batter to remain unbeaten.

If a team bats first and completes 20 overs, the opener may need to face bowling for more than 90 minutes.

He must negotiate the new ball, the middle-over spinners and the death specialists.

A middle-order finisher can remain not out after facing only 10 or 15 deliveries.

An opener may face 50, 60 or even 70.

That is why the leading opener on this list has only 24 not-outs, while middle-order finishers such as MS Dhoni have remained unbeaten far more frequently during their overall IPL careers.

The roles are completely different.

For an opener, reaching the end usually means producing a substantial innings.

Does a High Number of Not-Outs Guarantee a Better Opener?

No.

Not-outs are valuable, but they should not be separated from run rate and match context.

An opener who scores 60 not out from 55 balls in a losing total may have helped his average without maximizing his team’s scoring potential.

Another opener may score 75 from 40 and get dismissed while trying to accelerate.

The second innings could be more valuable even though it does not add to his not-out total.

This is particularly important in the modern IPL, where Powerplay scoring rates have increased dramatically.

The best opening records therefore combine not-outs, average and strike rate.

Kohli and Rahul stand out because they have high opening averages while also scoring quickly.

Gayle’s strike rate above 150 makes his 15 not-outs exceptional for a different reason.

Conclusion

Virat Kohli holds the record for the most not-outs by an opener in IPL history with 24.

Shikhar Dhawan is second with 23, while Chris Gayle, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul and David Warner have all remained unbeaten 15 times while opening.

Gautam Gambhir recorded 11 not-outs, while Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sachin Tendulkar reached 10. Shubman Gill follows with nine.

The record highlights more than simple survival.

An opener who remains unbeaten often has to face every phase of a T20 innings.

Gayle’s 175 not out represents unmatched destruction. De Kock’s 140 not out came in a 210-run unbroken opening partnership. Rahul’s 132 not out combined control with a devastating finish, while Dhawan’s 101 not out anchored a difficult chase.

Kohli’s position at the top reflects his ability to do both jobs: score heavily and stay long enough to finish innings.

That combination makes opener not-outs one of the more demanding consistency records in IPL batting.

FAQs

Who has the most not-outs as an opener in IPL history?

Virat Kohli leads the record with 24 not-outs while opening the batting in the IPL.

### How many times did Shikhar Dhawan remain not out as an IPL opener?

Dhawan remained unbeaten 23 times in 202 innings as an opener.

### Which IPL opener has the highest batting average among the leading not-out record holders?

KL Rahul has the highest average among the main leaders, averaging above 49 while opening.

What is the highest unbeaten score by an IPL opener?

Chris Gayle holds the record with 175 not out for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors India in 2013.

Have both IPL openers ever batted through an entire 20-over innings?

Yes. KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock remained unbeaten for Lucknow Super Giants against KKR in 2022, adding an unbroken 210.

How many not-outs does David Warner have as an IPL opener?

David Warner remained unbeaten 15 times in 163 IPL innings as an opener.