IPL stats: Top records by Virat Kohli in IPL history
Virat Kohli has been one of the most prolific batsmen in IPL history. The Indian captain has played all the IPL seasons and is currently the 2nd leading run scorer in IPL with 4948 runs only behind CSK's Suresh Raina.
The champion batsman is with Royal Challengers Bangalore since the first season. RCB bought Virat on a youth contract for $30,000 in 2018. Despite a mediocre start to IPL, the right-handed batsman slowly gained ground and has established himself as the best in the world in few years time-span.
In his 11-year-IPL career, Virat Kohli has created numerous records. In this article, we are going to talk about some of the top records that the RCB captain has created.
#1 The most expensive player in IPL history - 17 crores INR
Virat Kohli is currently the most expensive player in IPL history. RCB retained him for a whopping price of 17 crore INR during the 2018 IPL transfer window. He surpassed Yuvraj Singh, who was bought by Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) for a price of 16 crores INR. Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, and Rishabh Pant are sharing the third spot with 15 crore INR.
#2 Highest Partnership in IPL history - 229 runs with AB de Villiers
Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have forged multiple partnerships for RCB. Thet set a record for the highest IPL partnership with a 215-run stand against Mumbai Indians in 2015. However, in 2016, the duo broke their earlier record by scoring 229 runs.
The Indian batsman scored 109 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 198; De Villiers scored 129 runs at a lethal strike rate of 248. It became the only instance where both the batsmen scored centuries in an IPL match.
#3 Most runs in a season in IPL - 973 runs in 2016 IPL
Virat Kohli was at his monstrous best during the IPL 2016. The Indian batsman had his best season in 2016 when he scored a record 973 runs in 16 matches an impressive average of 81.08 winning his only Orange Cap award in his IPL career. He also helped the RCB reach finals that season.
During the season, he also became the 1st player in IPL history to score 4000 IPL runs. His record of 973 runs in 2016 still remains the most runs scored by a player in a season in IPL.
#4 Most centuries in a season - Four centuries in 2016 IPL
Virat Kohli entered the 2016 IPL season without any century in the previous eight campaigns. There were voices calling him an IPL failure. However, the RCB captain brushed aside his critics by scoring four centuries in 16 games in 2016. He became the only cricket in IPL history to scored four centuries in one season.
He scored centuries against Gujarat Lions in both home and away fixtures. The other two centuries came against Rising Pune Supergiant and Kings XI Punjab.