Virat Kohli once again proved why he is regarded as one of the greatest T20 batters of all time with a sensational performance for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2026. Playing at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Wednesday, Virat Kohli delivered a match-winning century during RCB’s chase of 193 runs and shattered multiple records in the process.
The star batter reached his hundred in 58 balls by taking a single in the 19th over. It was his ninth IPL century, making him the first player in the history of the tournament to achieve the feat. Jos Buttler remains second on the list with seven IPL hundreds.
Virat Kohli’s knock also helped RCB register a six-wicket victory and strengthened their chances of securing a playoff spot. He stayed calm even after reaching the milestone, choosing a muted celebration instead of his usual aggressive reaction. The veteran batter later explained that the team’s position on the points table mattered more to him than personal achievements.
The century came at an important moment for Virat Kohli, who had registered back-to-back ducks in his previous two IPL 2026 matches. He admitted after the game that failing to contribute in recent outings had been bothering him because his main focus has always been helping the team win matches.
During the innings, Virat Kohli also completed 14,000 runs in T20 cricket, becoming the first Indian and only the sixth batter overall to reach the landmark. He achieved the milestone in just 409 innings, breaking Chris Gayle’s previous world record of 423 innings to become the fastest batter ever to reach the mark. Apart from Chris Gayle, the elite 14,000-run club also includes Kieron Pollard, Alex Hales, David Warner and Jos Buttler. Chris Gayle still leads the all-time T20 run charts with 14,562 runs.
Virat Kohli’s hundred against KKR was also his third IPL century while chasing, equalling Jos Buttler’s record. It was additionally his second IPL century against Kolkata Knight Riders, placing him alongside Jos Buttler and David Warner in another elite list.
With this knock, Virat Kohli became only the third batter to score IPL centuries across five different seasons. He had previously scored four hundreds in 2016, two in 2023, one each in 2019 and 2024 and now in 2026. Chris Gayle and KL Rahul are the other batters to achieve the feat.
Virat Kohli also equalled Rohit Sharma’s record of 21 Player of the Match awards among Indian players in the IPL history. MS Dhoni follows with 18 awards, while Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul have 17 each.
The innings further cemented Virat Kohli’s legacy in T20 cricket as he continues rewriting record books season after season.
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