Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bengaluru during the warm-up session. (NOT a photo) NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli on Wednesday added another milestone to his illustrious career by becoming the most capped player in the history of the Indian Premier League after featuring for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Kolkata Knight Riders in Raipur.The appearance was Kohli’s 279th IPL match, taking him past long-time record holders Dhoni and Rohit, who were tied with him on 278 matches before the competition. The moment further cemented Kohli’s status as one of the defining faces of the league since its inception in 2008.
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Krunal Pandya opens the match winning game and RCB’s playoff runKohli moves clearly at the topKohli has represented only one franchise during his IPL journey – RCB – which makes this milestone all the more significant. His record-breaking performance came in a crucial game for RCB, who are chasing a play-off berth in IPL 2026.Dhoni, despite being part of the Chennai Super Kings squad this season, is yet to feature due to injury concerns, while Rohit continues to play for Mumbai Indians and remains at par with the CSK legend.Kohli is now alone at the top of the all appearances list:
- 1. Virat Kohli – 279
- 2. MS Dhoni – 278
- 3. Rohit Sharma – 278
- 4. Ravindra Jadeja – 265
- 5. Dinesh Karthik – 257
- 6. Shikhar Dhawan – 222
- 7. Ravichandran Ashwin – 221
- 8. Ajinkya Rahane – 209
- 9. Suresh Raina – 205
- 10. Robin Uthappa – 205
The record comes in a playoff battleThe milestone came when RCB won the toss and elected to bowl first in Raipur. Captain Rajat Patidar said the surface is expected to behave similarly to their previous outing, with variable bounce likely to affect the contest.RCB came into the game with seven wins from 11 matches and were looking to strengthen their grip on a playoff spot after a dramatic win over Mumbai Indians.KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane, meanwhile, said his team remains hopeful of making the late playoffs after four straight wins.But before the first ball was bowled, the spotlight belonged to Kohli.From RCB’s teenage signing in 2008 to now standing as the single-most capped player in the IPL, the 37-year-old’s latest record is yet another reminder of his longevity – and his central role in shaping the tournament’s history.
