Former Mumbai Indians and New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan has made a bold prediction about veteran RCB batsman Virat Kohli. McClenaghan praised the former RCB captain and praised his consistency.
Kohli is one of the only two players to have played at least one match in all 19 seasons of the IPL. During RCB’s 9-wicket win over Delhi Capitals on Monday, Kohli took an unbeaten 23 and became the first player to reach 9,000 runs in the IPL.
Hunger gets the best of him every year: Mitchell McClenaghan on Virat Kohli
McClenaghan spoke about Virat Kohli’s impressive ability to adapt to the ever-changing needs of the T20 game.
“Virat Kohli has been incredibly consistent. Scoring 9,000 IPL runs against the best bowlers in the world is no easy task. It’s about hunger, discipline and adaptation every year, and that’s what brings out the best in him,” McClenaghan said on JioHotstar.
McClenaghan highlighted the fact that Kohli has batted in several positions in his career and how he was able to rise through the ranks, even if it was the franchise he was in from the beginning. McClenaghan finally made his prediction about Virat Kohli ending his IPL career with more than 10,000 runs.
“He didn’t start his career as an opener. He batted in the lower middle order, fought for his place, then moved to number three. Then he opened with Chris Gayle. That changed his game completely. He will reach 10,000 runs soon, no doubt.”
“Kohli is the best batsman the IPL has ever seen, not just because of the runs, but because of how he has evolved and dominated in different eras,” McClenaghan concluded. Near the end of the 2024 season, Kohli had become the first batsman to make 8,000 IPL runs.
Virat Kohli in the IPL
So far, Kohli has enjoyed great success in this year’s tournament. With 351 runs, he ranks fourth on the Orange Cap list. His runs have come at an un-Kohliesque strike rate of 163 and a healthy average of 58.5.
Kohli also won a Player of the Match award for his 81 against the Gujarat Titans on 24 April. He has already held the Orange Cap twice this season and is a serious contender for it.
Throughout his IPL career, Kohli has been extremely consistent in accumulating runs. He has the most runs, most fifties, most centuries and most fours in IPL history. He also holds the record for most runs in a single IPL season.
RCB in IPL 2026
RCB has been one of the teams to beat in this year’s tournament. With 6 wins in 8 matches, RCB are second in the points table and the healthy win against Delhi Capitals gave them the best NRR in the league.
RCB will face Gujarat Titans once again in their next match. It will be held in Ahmedabad on April 30. RCB already defeated Titans once in IPL 2026.
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