Sachin Tendulkar's IPL record set to be broken by Virat Kohli
In what is bound to increase the comparisons between the two stalwarts of Indian cricket, Virat Kohli, captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore is set to beat Sachin Tendulkar’s IPL record set as captain of the Mumbai Indians franchise.
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The RCB captain is set to break Sachin’s record of scoring more than 500 runs in two separate editions of the IPL as captain. In a testament to his consistency and quality as a batsman, Kohli is set to become the only captain to score more than 500 runs in three separate seasons of the Indian Premier League.
The Master Blaster had achieved this feat twice as captain of the Mumbai Indians.
Virat Kohli who has been termed as a successor to Sachin Tendulkar, has made 433 runs this season. He has been in good batting form in this edition and is the current Orange Cap holder. He is expected to break the record even if RCB do not make it to the knockout rounds of the tournament as he will have at least five more fixtures to do so.
Tendulkar had scored over 500 runs in two editions of the IPL as captain. He plundered 618 runs in the 2010 edition and scored 553 runs in the 2011 edition of the IPL. Virat Kohli has managed to do the same with 634 runs in 2013 and 505 runs in 2015 edition.
The 634 runs made by Kohli is also the highest ever run total made by a captain in the IPL. It is possible that his run making leads RCB to the knockout rounds of the IPL and he betters his own record.
Two other captains have crossed the 500 run barrier in the IPL, Gautam Gambhir as KKR skipper in 2012, scoring 590 runs in 17 matches while David Warner achieved the feat in 2015 with 562 runs in 14 games.
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RCB are having a disastrous season of the IPL inspite of having players like Ab de Villiers, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli in their ranks. Mitchell Starc withdrew from the squad due to injury before the tournament began, leaving Shane Watson to play the role of their strike bowler. They are currently in seventh position in the table above the Kings XI Punjab.