Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batsman Virat Kohli equaled the huge batting record of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain KL Rahul during the 58th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Virat Kohli crossed 600 runs four times in a season in the history of the flagship tournament.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru secured a convincing 60-run victory against Punjab Kings at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala on Thursday, May 9. Virat Kohli scored 92 runs off 47 deliveries, including seven boundaries and six sixes, as RCB posted a total of 241-7.
The former RCB captain fell short of his ninth IPL century when Arshdeep Singh dismissed him in the 18th over. During his knock, the right-handed batsman completed the 600-run mark in the ongoing season. He marked Virat Kohli’s fourth 600+ run season in the history of India’s T20 tournament.
Virat Kohli equals KL Rahul’s record
Virat Kohli equaled KL Rahul’s record of four seasons of 600+ runs in the IPL. Rahul achieved this feat by accumulating a total of 659 runs in 2018, 670 in 2020, 626 in 2021 and 616 in 2022. Kohli scored 634 runs in 2013, 973 in 2016, 639 in 2023 and amassed 634 runs in the IPL. 2024 season.
Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle and star Australian batsman David Warner scored over 600 runs in three IPL seasons. Meanwhile, South African cricketer Faf du Plessis achieved the feat of crossing the 600-run mark in two IPL seasons.
Over 600 seasons of IPL career
| Player | Seasons |
|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 4 |
| KL Rahul | 4 |
| Chris Gayle | 3 |
| David Warner | 3 |
| Faf du Plessis | 2 |
Important to keep my strike rate high – Virat Kohli
In the mid-match show, Virat Kohli sarcastically responded about his strike rate. The 35-year-old batsman stated that he wanted to maintain a high strike rate throughout his innings to maintain the team’s momentum.
“It was important to keep my strike rate high during the innings (laughs). So I focused on giving the team momentum.” Kohli said.
“There was a bit of a difficult phase when Rajat arrived, we were three down and then a bit of rain and hail came, so we lost a bit of stopping momentum. We had to rebuild between 8 and 10 balls and then once laid the foundation, Cameron [Green] “I have some limits, I thought, yeah, I have to go again.” he added.
The Delhi-born cricketer is the leading run-scorer in the ongoing premier tournament. The former RCB captain has scored 634 runs in 12 matches at an average of 70.44 and a strike rate of 153.51, including one century and five fifties. He has scored 93 runs more than second-placed Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Virat Kohli will next be seen in action when the Faf du Plessis-led team takes on the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday, May 12. The Bengaluru team is currently in contention for the playoff race but the chances are low.
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