Virat Kohli has become the first player in Indian Premier League history to reach 9,000 career runs, achieving the milestone during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s emphatic nine-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals. The match saw Delhi Capitals dismissed for just 75 runs after posting a Powerplay total of 13 for 6, the lowest Powerplay score in IPL history.
Chasing a modest target, Kohli remained unbeaten on 23 runs as Royal Challengers Bengaluru completed the chase with ease. The landmark moment arrived when he took a single off the final ball of the sixth over bowled by Axar Patel, moving from 8,989 to 9,000 IPL runs. This achievement makes him the first batter in the competition’s history to reach the 9,000-run mark.
Kohli had already held the record for the highest aggregate runs in IPL history and has now extended his lead further. The former India captain has consistently been the fastest to major milestones in the tournament, becoming the first player to reach 6,000 runs in 2021, 7,000 runs in 2023, and 8,000 runs in 2024.
IPL Career Records (Top Run Scorers)
| Rank | Player | Matches | Innings | Runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli | 275 | 267 | 9012 |
| 2 | Rohit Sharma | 276 | 271 | 7183 |
| 3 | Shikhar Dhawan | 222 | 221 | 6769 |
| 4 | David Warner | 184 | 184 | 6565 |
| 5 | KL Rahul | 153 | 144 | 5580 |
Kohli’s current tally of 9,012 runs places him well ahead of his closest competitor, Rohit Sharma, who has accumulated 7,183 runs. Despite both players making their IPL debuts in 2008, Kohli holds a lead of 1,829 runs. Shikhar Dhawan follows in third place with 6,769 runs, leaving him 2,243 runs behind Kohli. David Warner and KL Rahul complete the top five.
Across key batting metrics, Kohli also leads the competition’s all-time records. He has registered 8 centuries and 66 half-centuries, both the highest in IPL history. He also tops the list for boundaries with 808 fours. However, in terms of sixes, he trails Rohit Sharma, who has struck 310 compared to Kohli’s 305. Notably, both players are the only cricketers in IPL history to have hit at least 300 sixes.
Key Batting Records (Top Five)
| Statistic | Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Shikhar Dhawan | David Warner | KL Rahul |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centuries | 8 | — | — | — | — |
| Fifties | 66 | — | — | — | — |
| Fours | 808 | — | — | — | — |
| Sixes | 305 | 310 | — | — | — |
In the current IPL season, the race for the Orange Cap remains closely contested. Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma leads with 380 runs from eight innings. He is closely followed by his teammate Heinrich Klaasen, who is just 31 runs behind. Kohli, with 351 runs from eight innings, occupies fourth place in the standings.
Despite being fourth in the seasonal run chart, Kohli holds the highest batting average among the top five batters, standing at 58.50.