Virat Kohli vs Nicholas Pooran - comparing their stats after 87 IPL matches
Star Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Virat Kohli has displayed great form in the IPL 2025 season. Kohli is a veteran when it comes to the IPL, being the leading run-scorer in the history of the tournament.
This season, Kohli has scored 505 runs from 11 matches at an average of 63.12 and a strike-rate of 143.46 with seven half-centuries. Notably, all his seven fifties also came in a winning cause this season. The star batter has been consistent, reflecting in the impressive run RCB were having.
Nicholas Pooran, part of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), has also played a vital role for them with the bat this season. The left-hander has scored 410 runs from 11 innings at an average of 41 and a strike-rate of 200.98 with four half-centuries to his name. He is also their leading run-getter this season.
LSG and RCB were set to face each other at the Ekana Stadium on Friday, May 9. However, the IPL 2025 season now stands suspended for one week due to escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Meanwhile, let us take a look and compare the stats of the two batters after their first 87 games in the IPL.
Virat Kohli vs Nicholas Pooran comparison after 87 IPL matches
#1 Most runs
Virat Kohli has played 263 matches in the IPL and has scored 8509 runs in the history of the tournament, being the leading run-scorer. He has been a part of RCB from 2008 and has played all seasons for the same franchise. However, in his first 87 IPL matches, he had scored 2005 runs from 79 innings.
On the other hand, Nicholas Pooran began his IPL journey in 2019 with Punjab Kings (PBKS) and has played for SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) as well before his stint with LSG. From 87 matches in the league, Pooran has scored 2179 runs from 84 innings.
#2 Average & Strike rate
In his first few seasons in the IPL, Virat Kohli played mostly in the middle order. He only began opening regularly later on in the league. Kohli's overall average is 39.57 and he has a strike-rate of 132.60. From his first 87 games, he had an average of 29.93 and a strike rate of 121.15.
Nicholas Pooran has also batted mostly in the middle order in his IPL career. In his 87 games in the league so far, he has an average of 33.52 and a strike-rate of 168.39. He has a better average and a strike rate than what Virat Kohli had at a similar stage in the IPL.
#3 Most 50+ scores in a winning cause
Virat Kohli had scored 1035 runs in a winning cause from his first 87 games in the IPL. His team won 39 matches and he scored five half-centuries in wins in this phase. He had not scored a single hundred during this phase.
On the other hand, Nicholas Pooran has scored 1118 runs in a winning cause in his first 87 IPL games. His teams have won 40 out of these 87 games. He has scored 13 half-centuries out of which seven have come in a winning cause. Pooran is yet to score a hundred in the IPL.
Pooran edges past Kohli by a small margin of 83 runs as far as runs in a winning cause are concerned in this stage. He also has a couple of more fifties than what Virat Kohli had.