Virat Kohli becomes first batter to complete 8,000 IPL runs
What's the story
Batting talisman Virat Kohli has become the first batter to complete 8,000 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Royal Challengers Bengaluru star accomplished the milestone with his 29th run against Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) in Ahmedabad. Notably, no other batter has even 7,000 runs in the competition. Here we decode his stats.
Tally
Highest run-scorer in IPL; most tons
Kohli made his IPL debut in the inaugural season in 2008. Playing his 252nd match, the star batter has raced past 8,000 runs as he averages 38-plus (SR: 130-plus). The 35-year-old leads the runs tally by miles as Shikhar Dhawan is the next-best batter (6,769). Kohli also owns the most IPL tons (8), while his tally includes 55 half-centuries.
Campaign
Leading run-getter of the season
Kohli has enjoyed a dream run in IPL 2024 as he is currently the leading run-getter of the tournament. The former RCB captain has raced past 735 runs from 15 matches this season, averaging 60-plus. His strike rate is over 155. In addition to a ton, Kohli has five fifties. Notably, no other batter has even crossed the 600-run mark this year.
Milestone
First player with this feat
Earlier in the season, Kohli became the fourth player to feature in 250 IPL matches (now 252). He joined the likes of MS Dhoni (264), Rohit Sharma (257), and Dinesh Karthik (257) in terms of IPL matches played. However, Kohli remains the only player to represent only one franchise since the inaugural IPL season (2008) - RCB.
Milestone
730-plus runs in multiple IPL seasons
Kohli slammed 973 runs in the 2016 edition, the most by a batter in an IPL season. As he has raced past 735 runs in the ongoing competition, Kohli has become the first batter to touch the 730-run mark in multiple IPL seasons. Chris Gayle (733 in 2012 and 708 in 2013) is the only other batter with 700-plus runs in two IPL editions.