NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli created IPL history by becoming the first player ever to score more than 4,000 runs while chasing targets on Saturday. He achieved this milestone during the opening match of IPL 2026 between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru. In addition, Kohli also moved past Shoaib Malik to become the sixth highest run-scorer overall in T20 cricket.
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The Hyderabad Struggle
Sunrisers Hyderabad did not start well and lost early wickets to the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Nitish Reddy in the power play. But things turned around thanks to Ishan Kishan, who stepped in as stand-in captain and smashed 80 runs off just 38 balls. He got good support from Ankiet Verma who added a quick 43.Their efforts helped Hyderabad post a strong total of 201/9. For Bengaluru, bowlers like Jacob Duffy and Romario Shepherd picked up three wickets each to keep things somewhat under control.
Virat Kohli leads Bengaluru’s chase
Bengaluru chased 202 aggressively. Star batsman Virat Kohli anchored the innings with an unbeaten 69 off 38 balls. He was ably supported by Devdutt Padikkal who smashed 61 off just 26 balls and skipper Rajat Patidar who added a quick 31.This explosive batting saw Bengaluru complete the chase in just 15.4 overs, making it the fastest successful chase of a 200+ total in IPL history. They closed the match with four wickets in hand and started their title defense in style as Kohli stole the limelight with his historic achievement.
