Warner, Bairstow combine for IPL blitz

Ashes foes David Warner and Jonny Bairstow have joined forces in an extraordinary batting assault in the Indian Premier League, both players notching centuries against Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore.

In sweltering conditions in Hyderabad, Bairstow and Warner put on 185 in just 16.2 overs of incredible batting, the highest opening stand in tournament history, the pair hitting 12 sixes and 17 fours between them.

The previous record was an unbeaten 184-run partnership between Kolkata Knight Riders' Chris Lynn and Gautam Gambhir in 2017.

Warner burst out of the gates, but it was Bairstow who was the aggressor for the bulk of the innings and was the first to three figures. The right-hander reached his hundred from just 52 balls and celebrated with an exuberant leap in the air before he enjoyed a warm embrace with his Australian teammate.

The Englishman wasn’t finished there, either, smacking another six before he eventually departed for 114 from 56 balls, his innings featuring 12 fours and seven sixes.

Warner was unbeaten on 70 when Bairstow departed with 22 balls left in the innings and quickly set his eyes on a team total beyond 200 and a century for himself.

The Aussie left-hander blazed a huge six off Umesh Yadav in the penultimate over and then reached three figures with his fifth four from the third-last ball of the innings.

He celebrated with his trademark leap and finished unbeaten on 100 from 55 balls, his innings featuring five fours and five sixes.

A feature of Warner’s innings and the duo’s partnership was their extraordinary running between wickets, despite the oppressive conditions.

In three innings so far in this year’s IPL, Warner has posted scores of 85, 69 and now 100no, while he and Bairstow have posted three consecutive century stands of 118, 110 and 185 today.

"He's great fun, just going ahead with hitting the ball," Bairstow said of Warner in the innings break.

"It's fantastic to bat in the middle with him."

Warner, whose 12-month ban from international cricket ended earlier this week, produced his knock at the same time his Australian teammates were playing the fifth and final ODI against Pakistan in Dubai, where Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja – Australia’s current one-day openers – produced another century partnership of their own.

Warner's superb start to the IPL would appear to make him a certainty to return to the national side for the World Cup, the first time he will have represented his country since the infamous Cape Town Test last year.

Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar was stunned by the mesmerising start to the match in Hyderabad

"Must say everything about their partnership has been extraordinary. Some serious shots and hard running between the wickets in this heat. Truly remarkable," Tendulkar posted on Twitter.

RCB crumbled in reply to the Warner-Bairstow assault, slumping to 6-35 after an opening spell of 4-11 off four overs from Melbourne Renegades spinner Mohammad Nabi. Star batsmen Kohli (3), AB de Villiers (1), Moeen Ali (2) and Shimron Hetmyer (9) all fell for single-figure scores as they were bowled out for just 113 to lose by 118 runs.

Highest opening partnerships in IPL history

185 - David Warner & Jonny Bairstow (2019)

184* - Gautam Gambhir & Chris Lynn (2017)

167 - Chris Gayle & Tillakaratne Dilshan (2013)

163* - Dwayne Smith and Sachin Tendulkar (2012)