Phil Salt and Michael Pepper hit half-centuries en route to a record opening stand in the ILT20 on Sunday (December 28).
Phil Salt and Michael Pepper smash opening record
Playing for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders against the Gulf Giants, the English opening pair of Salt and Pepper added 131 runs for the first wicket in 15 overs - the highest opening partnership in ILT20 history, going past Johnson Charles and Tom Kohler-Cadmore's 123-run opening stand for Sharjah Warriorz in the last season.
Salt was the more sedate of the two, anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 72 off 56 balls, striking at 128.57. Pepper, on the other hand, took the attack to the opposition. The 27-year-old Essex batter reached fifty in 31 balls, and accelerated to 83 off 50 before he was dismissed in the 15th over. While Salt is an England regular, Pepper is yet to play for the national team.
Liam Livingstone, batting at No.3, hit a four to help Abu Dhabi Knight Riders reach 179-1 in their 20 overs.
In sharp contrast to the ADKR innings, the Gulf Giants weren't able to stitch any substantial partnership. Moeen Ali was the only one who crossed 20, slamming 79 off 49 balls to become the third Englishman to hit a half-century in the match.
Andre Russell was the pick of ADKR's bowlers, taking 3-13 in two overs, while Jason Holder (2-24) and Sunil Narine (2-14) shared four wickets among themselves, restricting GG to 147-9, resulting in a 32-run victory.
Match 30, Gulf Giants vs Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
vs
- Ball by ball Over
Highest opening partnerships in ILT20
| Partners | Runs | Inns | Team | Opposition | Date |
| Michael Pepper, Phil Salt | 131 | 1 | Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | v Gulf Giants | 28 Dec 2025 |
| Johnson Charles, Tom Kohler-Cadmore | 123 | 2 | Sharjah Warriorz | v DC | 28 Jan 2025 |
| Johnson Charles, Tom Kohler-Cadmore | 112 | 1 | Sharjah Warriorz | v MI Emirates | 14 Dec 2025 |
| Muhammad Waseem, Kusal Perera | 110 | 2 | MI Emirates | v KnightRiders | 28 Jan 2024 |
| Jordan Cox, James Vince | 103 | 1 | Gulf Giants | v KnightRiders | 10 Feb 2024 |
| Tom Banton, Leus du Plooy | 98 | 2 | Dubai Capitals | v Gulf Giants | 15 Feb 2024 |
| Fakhar Zaman, Max Holden | 97 | 2 | Desert Vipers | v KnightRiders | 16 Dec 2025 |
| Andries Gous, Kyle Mayers | 96 | 2 | Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | v DC | 2 Feb 2025 |
| Fakhar Zaman, Alex Hales | 95* | 2 | Desert Vipers | v Warriorz | 22 Jan 2025 |
| Johnson Charles, Martin Guptill | 93 | 2 | Sharjah Warriors | v Gulf Giants | 19 Jan 2024 |
Image credit: X.com/ADKRiders
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