5 Players Who Can Break Virat Kohli’s Record of 973 Runs in IPL

Abhishek Sharma (L) and Virat Kohli (R) (Source: AFP)

It was IPL 2016 when the former RCB skipper and the modern-day batting great, Virat Kohli, created history with the bat. He achieved the milestone of most runs in an IPL edition across all 18 seasons of the tournament so far. 

He scored 973 runs in 16 innings of the 16 games, at an astonishing average of 81.08, hitting four centuries and seven half-centuries. However, Virat Kohli unfortunately ended on the losing side as SRH defeated RCB in the final to lift the IPL 2016 title. 

Nonetheless, Virat’s record of most runs in an IPL season still stands tall and untouched, even after almost 10 years since he achieved this feat. Meanwhile, some batters among the currently active players in the IPL have the ability to break this record.

Therefore, here, we’ll have a look at the 5 players who can break Virat Kohli’s record of 973 runs in IPL. 

5 Players who can break Virat Kohli's record of 973 in IPL 

Shubman Gill - Gujarat Titans

The Gujarat Titans skipper and star opener, Shubman Gill, reached near Virat Kohli’s milestone of most runs in an IPL season, missing it by just 83 runs in IPL 2023. 

In that edition, Gill scored 890 runs in 17 innings, averaging 59.33, with a strike rate of 157.80, including three centuries and four half-centuries. He also won the orange cap for being the leading run-scorer in the tournament. 

In the last edition of the tournament in 2025, he scored 650 runs in 15 innings, at an average of 50.00, hitting six half-centuries. So, the GT skipper seems to have the ability to surpass Kohli’s record of 973 runs in IPL. 

Jos Buttler - Gujarat Titans

The veteran opener, Jos Buttler, was the leading run-scorer in IPL 2022 while playing for the Rajasthan Royals. Rajasthan Royals ended up as the runners-up, with Buttler winning the orange cap. 

He scored 863 runs in 17 innings, with an amazing batting average of 57.53, hitting four centuries and four half-centuries. In IPL 2025, he moved to GT from RR and scored 538 runs in 13 innings, averaging 59.77, with five half-centuries. 

So, Buttler can also be one of the top candidates among the five batters who can break Virat Kohli’s record of most runs in an IPL edition. 

Ruturaj Gaikwad - CSK 

The CSK skipper and opener, Ruturaj Gaikwad, has had a couple of amazing seasons with the bat since his IPL debut in the 2020 edition. In IPL 2021, he accumulated 635 runs in 16 innings, at an average of 45.35, hitting a century and four half-centuries. 

Later in IPL 2023 and 2024, he crossed the 500-run mark, scoring 590 and 583 runs, respectively, in both seasons. 

Considering his batting position at the top of the order and the number of overs he has a chance to bat, Gaikwad can also be the one to achieve the milestone of most runs in an IPL season, surpassing Virat Kohli. 

Vaibhav Suryavanshi - Rajasthan Royals 

In his quite short but impressive stint in IPL 2025, the teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi left everyone stunned with his sensational performances. 

He played seven games for the Rajasthan Royals in the tournament and scored 252 runs in seven innings, at an average of 36.00, with an unbelievable strike rate of 206.55, including a century and a half-century. 

If the 14-year-old gets a chance to play for the entire season in the upcoming IPL edition, he has a knack for breaking Kohli’s record of 973 runs in a single IPL edition.

Abhishek Sharma - SRH 

The swashbuckling SRH opener, Abhishek Sharma, shone in IPL 2024 with his blistering starts that helped his side post massive totals. In that season, he scored 484 runs in 16 innings, at an average of 32.26 and a fiery strike rate of 204.21, including three half-centuries. 

In the 2025 season, Abhishek scored 439 runs in 13 innings, averaging 33.76 with a strike rate of 193.39. He also scored a century and two half-centuries in IPL 2025. It was also his maiden century in his IPL career.