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Virat Kohli for RCB - (Source: AP)
Virat Kohli has a tryst with breaking records and the former RCB captain was back at it when the defending champions locked horns against SRH. The two teams met at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday in the opening game of IPL 2026.
SRH, batting first, put 201 runs on the board, courtesy of Ishan Kishan's masterclass with the bat. He scored 80 (38), which featured 8 fours and 5 sixes. In reply, RCB were asked to chase a big total. Phil Salt returned to the pavilion early on but the right-handed batter and Devdutt Padikkal took the responsibility on their shoulders.
Virat Kohli And Devdutt Padikkal Stitch A Staggering Partnership
RCB were 9/1 after 1.1 overs. They were in a difficult situation but Padikkal and Kohli stitched a 101 run stand. The biggest talking point was that the partnership came in just 45 deliveries. It just turned the course of the game and put RCB in a winning situation.
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Padikkal was the star batter in that partnership as the southpaw scored 61 (26). On the other hand, Virat too hit boundaries on occasion and scripted a massive T20 record to his name with his batting masterclass.
Virat Kohli Goes Past Shoaib Malik's Run-Tally
At the time of writing this article, the former RCB skipper has brought up his 50 in 33 deliveries. Now, he has also gone past Pakistan legend Shoaib Malik to become the 6th leading run-getter in T20s.
Notably, Virat has 13573 runs in T20s in 397 innings. Before the match, he required just 28 runs to go past Shoaib Malik, who ended his career with 13571 runs in 515 innings. Only, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Alex Hales, David Warner and Jos Buttler is ahead of him. Here is the complete list of leading run-getter in T20s.
Most Runs in T20s:
- 14562 – Chris Gayle
- 14482 – Kieron Pollard
- 14449 – Alex Hales
- 14063 – David Warner
- 13845 – Jos Buttler
- 13573* – Virat Kohli*
- 13571 – Shoaib Malik
Virat Kohli Inches Closer To 9000 IPL Runs
With the fifty-run knock, Virat Kohli has also inched closer to the 9000 run mark in IPL history. For the unversed, Virat is the leading run-getter in the league's history and can become the first-player ever to breach the 9000 run mark in IPL.
Before the match, the RCB opener required 333 runs to 9000 runs. At the time of writing, he has 8706 runs in 260 innings. Further, the 37-year-old has also completed 4000 IPL runs during run-chase. He has become the first-ever player in the history of the league to reach this feat.
Talking about the match, RCB are in a very comfortable position and require 39 runs to win in 46 balls.
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