Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma: Who has been better in the IPL?
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been two stalwarts of the Indian cricket team for more than a decade now. The two have also been part of every single season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) since its inaugural one in 2008.
More recently, the two have been the leaders and pillars of the Indian side, with Kohli handing over the captaincy to Rohit. However, the two have always been on different sides in the cash-rich league.
While Virat Kohli has been with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) since its establishment, Rohit Sharma played for the Deccan Chargers before moving to his home franchise, the Mumbai Indians (MI).
As the focus shifts to the new season of the IPL, these two marquee Indian players will be looking to put on a show again. On that note, let's take a look at how these two have fared over the years in the league.
Virat Kohli's IPL accomplishments
Virat Kohli sits atop the leading run-scorers chart in the history of the IPL, with 6,283 runs to his name. With an average of 37.39 and a strike rate of 129.94, the former RCB captain has been an absolute run-machine for his side.
With five centuries and 42 half-centuries to his name, he is the only player with 6,000 or more runs in the history of the tournament. Kohli also became the fastest to reach the milestone of 5000 runs in the league.
The Delhi batter also holds the record for most runs by a player in a single season. In 2016, the RCB captain smashed a staggering 973 runs in 16 matches, averaging 81.08. He scored seven fifties and four centuries that season, shattering records along the way in an unprecedented campaign.
Rohit Sharma's IPL accomplishments
Rohit Sharma is third on the leading run-scorers chart of IPL with 5,611 runs. With an average of 31.17 along with a strike rate of 130.39, the Mumbai captain has been a consistent performer for his side.
The Mumbai cricketer has only a couple of centuries to his name to add to the 44 half-centuries in his tally. He is the only player to score 1000-plus runs against an opposition in the IPL (against KKR).
He is also a six-hitting machine at the top of the order, becoming the first Indian player to hit 400 sixes in T20s. Rohit is also the only player to have both a century and a hat-trick in the IPL.
The Mumbai Indians captain also has had seven seasons where he scored 400+ runs in the tournament. Only Suresh Raina has had more seasons with 400+ runs. Rohit will be hoping to register another successful season with the bat for his side.
Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma - Who has the better captaincy record in the IPL?
Virat Kohli - 4810
David Warner -2931 Most runs as a captain in IPL history:
🇮🇳Virat Kohli - 4810
🇮🇳Ms Dhoni - 4475
🇮🇳G. Gambhir - 3518
🇮🇳Rohit Sharma - 3251
🇦🇺David Warner -2931
#IPL2022
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were appointed as captains for their respective franchises in the same year. Since then, the Mumbai Indians have won five titles, while Bangalore are still looking for their maiden triumph.
The records speak for themselves, suggesting that Rohit has been the superior captain in terms of success. In 129 matches as captain, the Hitman has won 75 matches, lost 50, and has seen four end in a tie. His win percentage of nearly 60% is the best in the IPL.
Meanwhile, Virat has captained in 140 games, winning 64 and losing 69. Three matches ended in a tie and four produced no result. His win percentage is below 50%, which has been a bit of a concern. He stepped down as RCB captain ahead of this season. Recently, the franchise announced Faf du Plessis as their new skipper.