Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli celebrates his century (AP photo) Virat Kohli on Wednesday added another golden chapter to his storied T20 career, becoming the fastest batsman in history to complete 14,000 runs in the format during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s win over Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2026. The RCB superstar reached the milestone in just 409 innings, comfortably beating the previous record of Chris Gayle who needed 423 innings to do so. Kohli’s latest feat once again highlighted his incredible longevity and consistency in the shortest format of the game. Fewest innings for 14,000 T20 runs:
- 409 — Virat Kohli
- 423—Chris Gayle
- 431—David Warner
- 468 — If Buttler
- 505 — Alex Hales
- 633 – Kieron Pollard
Kohli also strengthened his position as India’s highest run-scorer in the history of T20 cricket. Most T20 runs by Indians:
- 14,000—Virat Kohli
- 12,491—Rohit Sharma
- 9,797—Shikhar Dhawan
- 9,654—Suryakumar Yadav
- 8,830 – Sanju Samson
- 8,654 — Suresh Raina
- 8,602—KL Rahul
The historic night became even more special when Kohli smashed his ninth IPL century to lead Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a decisive six-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders. Kohli came into the game after back-to-back ducks and responded in champion fashion with an unbeaten 105 off 60 balls, hammering 11 fours and three sixes in a championship chase under pressure. The knock also took him to the top of another elite IPL list. Most IPL hundreds:
- 9 — Virat Kohli
- 7 — If Buttler
- 6 — Chris Gayle
- 6 — KL Rahul
- 5 — Sanju Samson
Kohli also extended his dominance against the Kolkata Knight Riders, posting his ninth 50-plus score against the franchise, the most by any batsman in IPL history. Most 50+ scores vs KKR in IPL:
- 9 — Virat Kohli
- 8—Rohit Sharma
- 8 — David Warner
- 8 — Suresh Raina
- 7 – Shikhar Dhawan
Chasing 193 in Raipur, RCB were under pressure after recent batting struggles, especially as Kohli endured a lean patch that included two consecutive ducks. However, the former captain struck again when his side needed him most. He put together a crucial 92-run partnership with Devdutt Padikkal, who contributed 37 off 27 balls, before calmly completing the chase in 19.1 overs. The win took Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the top of the IPL 2026 points table with 16 points, level with Gujarat Titans but ahead in pure run rate. Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders were posted 192 for four after Angkrish Raghuvanshi played a brilliant knock of 71 off 46 deliveries. The young batsman hit seven fours and three sixes and added an important partnership with Cameron Green (32) and Rinku Singh who remained unbeaten on 49. However, the night ultimately belonged to Virat Kohli, who silenced the critics after a series of setbacks and proved once again why he remains one of the greatest T20 batsmen the game has ever seen.
