IPL 2026: Virat Kohli sets records with half-century against PBKS
What's the story
Virat Kohli played another resounding knock, this time against Punjab Kings in IPL 2026 at Dharamsala's HPCA Stadium. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter gave them a bright start and ended up scoring 58 off 37 balls. He added two 50-plus stands, with Devdutt Padikkal and Venkatesh Iyer. As a result, the visitors racked up 222/4 in 20 overs.
Knock
Kohli's whirlwind knock in Dharamsala
Kohli took off RCB's innings despite losing his opening partner, Jacob Bethell, early on. The former kept on attacking the PBKS bowlers after joining forces with Padikkal. While the latter's knock was cut short, Kohli accelerated after RCB touched the 100-run mark. In the 15th over, Yuzvendra Chahal dismissed Kohli, who picked the long-on fielder. The latter smashed 4 fours and 3 sixes.
Milestones
Over 500 runs in IPL 2026
With another incredible knock, Kohli has raced past 500 runs in IPL 2026. The Indian batter has smashed 500-plus runs in nine different seasons, the most, as per Cricbuzz. David Warner and KL Rahul follow Kohli (7 each). As of now, Kohli has slammed 542 runs from 13 games at 54.20 in IPL 2026 (SR: 164.74). This was his fifth 50-plus score (1 ton).
Landmark
1,200-plus runs against PBKS
According to ESPNcricinfo, Kohli became the first player to score 1,200 runs against an opponent in the IPL. The RCB batter now has 1,217 runs from 37 IPL games at an average of 36.87 against PBKS. His strike rate reads 133.58. Notably, Kohli is also the highest run-scorer against Chennai Super Kings (1,174) and Delhi Capitals (1,172) in the IPL.
Career
A look at his career numbers
Kohli's class helped him follow successive ducks with two back-to-back 50-plus scores. He scored a ton in his last games. Kohli, the league's highest run-scorer, has raced to 9,203 runs from 280 IPL matches at an average of 40.18. This was his 67th half-century in the tournament. Kohli's tally of nine tons is the most in IPL history.