The Indian Premier League (IPL) came into being in 2008 and a young Virat Kohli donned the Royal Challengers Bangalore colours. He went on to play 13 matches for the side and scored 165 runs that season, failing to hit a single fifty. However, the franchise went on to back the young aggressive Kohli, who was starting to make a name for himself at the international level. 13 years later, Kohli is going strong and long for RCB.
The Team India skipper has established himself as one of the leaders in world cricket. He has ruled the numbers in IPL and been a true performer. Kohli, who is set to step down as RCB skipper after the completion of IPL 2021, is yet to win the coveted trophy. Kohli is batting well this season and he will aim to take RCB to new heights. In this article, we present 10 unique records held by the 32-year-old.
1. Only player with 6,000-plus IPL runs
In what is a stunning record, Kohli is the only player who has scored over 6,000-plus IPL runs. In 203 matches, Kohli has gone on to accumulate 6,210 runs at an average of 37.86. He has smashed five centuries and 42 fifties at a strike rate of 130.29. Kohli is 559 runs ahead of the next best run-scorer – Shikhar Dhawan, who has scored 5,651 runs.
2. Most matches for a single franchise
Kohli is one of the rare players in the IPL to have played for one franchise in his career. He has represented RCB since 2008 and has never donned another jersey. His 203 matches for the club is the highest by any player for a single side. He is the only player to have played 14 successive seasons for one side.
3. 900-plus runs in a single edition
The 2016 season was massive for Kohli as he took batting to another level. It was the best batting on display in T20 cricket across any league in the world. He struck a stunning 973 runs from 16 matches at an average of 81.08. Kohli is the only batter with 900-plus runs in a season in the IPL. The next best tally is 848 runs by David Warner in the same season. Nobody else has managed to get past 800 runs in IPL history.
4. Most 50-plus scores in a single edition
Kohli holds a unique record in the IPL. He has the most 50-plus scores in a single edition of the IPL. The star batsman achieved the feat in the 2016 edition. He smashed 11 fifty-plus scores that season. He struck seven fifties and four centuries. Notably, he is the only player to smash four centuries in a single season.
5. Kohli is the fastest to 5,000 IPL runs
Kohli has another fascinating record under his belt. During the IPL 2019 season, Kohli breached the 5,000-run mark, becoming the second batsman after Suresh Raina. However, he was the fastest to the landmark. He achieved the mark in 165 innings. This was 12 innings fewer than Raina, who took 177 innings to get past 5,000 runs.
6. Only player to be involved in three double-century plus stands
Kohli holds a unique record of being the only player to have stitched three double-century plus partnerships. He stitched 229 runs alongside AB de Villiers for RCB against Gujarat Lions in 2016 which is the highest to date. He also shared an unbeaten 215-run stand alongside ABD in 2015 against Mumbai Indians (second-highest). Kohli struck his first 200-plus stand alongside Chris Gayle in 2012 (204) versus Delhi Daredevils.
7. Among five players to have featured in 200-plus games
Kohli is part of another superb record in the IPL. He is one of the five players to have played more than 200 games in the competition. MS Dhoni (215), Rohit Sharma (210), Dinesh Karthik (208), Suresh Raina (204) are the other four players alongside Kohli (203) to achieve this feat.
8. Most century-plus stands with a single partner
Kohli has shared 22 century-plus stands in the IPL. This is the second-highest tally by a player in the IPL after David Warner (24). Out of these 22 stands, 10 have come batting alongside AB de Villiers. This is the most successful pair in terms of sharing the most century-plus partnerships in the IPL. Notably, Kohli also shared nine century-plus stands alongside Chris Gayle (second-highest).
9. Second-highest centuries and third-highest fifties
Kohli has the second-highest number of centuries in the IPL (5). He is only behind Universe Boss Gayle, who has six. The Indian batsman also has the third-highest number of the fifties in the IPL (42). Only Warner (50) and Dhawan (44) are placed above him on this list.
10. Kohli has this unique captaincy tally
Kohli is one of the four captains to have led in 100-plus matches. He has managed RCB in 136 matches. However, Kohli has a unique record. Out of these four captains, he has lost more matches as captain than wins. Kohli has won 62 matches and lost 67. The other three – MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma have won more matches than losing after managing 100-plus games as captains.