NEW DELHI: The mix of emotion, tears, smiles and sheer relief that followed Virat Kohli and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s title-winning run in IPL 2025 is still fresh for supporters. And with another strong season now underway, RCB have once again returned to the playoffs—this time carrying the belief that they can chase a second straight crown.
RCB booked their place in the IPL 2026 playoffs with nine wins from 14 league games, finishing with 18 points and a healthy net run rate of +0.78. That performance earned them the distinction of being the first side to qualify for the postseason. Driving much of that charge once again has been their talisman, Virat Kohli. The former India captain has been in excellent touch throughout the campaign, and Bengaluru will be hoping he carries the same intensity and rhythm into the knockout fixtures.
RCB will begin their title campaign in Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans on Tuesday at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. The winner will progress straight to the IPL 2026 final, while the team that loses will get another opportunity in Qualifier 2. Qualifier 2 will be played against the side that comes through the Eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals.
Even so, there is a particular statistic that could give RCB supporters something to ponder. For all the greatness Kohli has shown in IPL history, his record in playoff matches has not been as overwhelming as many would expect.
To put that into perspective: across an IPL career that has reached 281 matches, Kohli has played 16 playoff games for RCB and scored 357 runs. His playoff average stands at 25.50, with a strike rate of 121.42. In those knockout appearances, he has made two half-centuries, but he has also been dismissed for a duck once.
Since the IPL began in 2008, Kohli has been synonymous with RCB. Signed by the Bengaluru franchise as a youngster, he has stayed loyal through every phase of his IPL journey. After missing out on qualification for the playoffs in the inaugural season of 2008, RCB finally reached the postseason for the first time in 2009. They beat Chennai Super Kings in the semi-final to reach the final, only to lose the title match to Deccan Chargers.
Now, with another high-stakes playoff clash approaching against Gujarat Titans, the spotlight will once more be on Kohli. Here is a detailed look at his IPL numbers and his playoff record.
Virat Kohli in IPL
Tournament – Team – Mat – Inns – NO – Runs – HS – Ave – SR – 100s – 50s
OVERALL – RCB – 281 – 273 – 43 – 4392 – 218* – 113.40? – 40.07 – 134 – 39967? – 1134?
IPL 2026 – RCB – 14 – 14 – 3 – 457 – 105* – 50.63 – 163.82 – 1 – 4
IPL 2025 – RCB – 15 – 15 – 3 – 657 – 73* – 54.75 – 144.71 – 1 – 4
IPL 2024 – RCB – 15 – 15 – 3 – 741 – 113* – 61.75 – 154.69 – 1 – 5
IPL 2023 – RCB – 14 – 14 – 2 – 639 – 101* – 53.25 – 139.82 – 0 – 2
IPL 2022 – RCB – 16 – 16 – 1 – 613 – 417? – 32.73 – 115.98 – 0 – 2
IPL 2021 – RCB – 15 – 15 – 1 – 514 – 57? – 28.92 – 119.46 – 0 – 3
IPL 2020 – RCB – 15 – 15 – 4 – 544 – 69* – 42.36 – 121.35 – 0 – 3
IPL 2019 – RCB – 14 – 14 – 0 – 464 – 64*? – 33.14 – 141.46 – 0 – 1
IPL 2018 – RCB – 14 – 14 – 3 – 530 – 92* – 48.18 – 139.10 – 0 – 4
IPL 2017 – RCB – 10 – 10 – 0 – 308 – 86*? – 30.80 – 122.22 – 0 – 0
IPL 2016 – RCB – 16 – 16 – 4 – 497 – 73*? – 31.08 – 152.03 – 0 – 0
IPL 2015 – RCB – 16 – 16 – 5 – 505 – 82* – 45.90 – 130.82 – 0 – 3
IPL 2014 – RCB – 14 – 14 – 1 – 597 – 73 – 27.61 – 122.10 – 0 – 2
IPL 2013 – RCB – 16 – 16 – 2 – 634 – 94* – 45.28 – 138.73 – 0 – 6
IPL 2012 – RCB – 16 – 15 – 3 – 236 – 47* – 28.00 – 111.65 – 0 – 2
IPL 2011 – RCB – 16 – 16 – 4 – 557 – 77? – 46.41 – 121.08 – 0 – 4
IPL 2010 – RCB – 16 – 13 – 2 – 307 – 75? – 27.90 – 144.81 – 0 – 1
IPL 2009 – RCB – 16 – 13 – 2 – 246 – 50? – 22.36 – 112.32 – 0 – 1
IPL 2008 – RCB – 13 – 12 – 1 – 653 – 81* – 15.00 – 105.09 – 0 – 0
Virat Kohli in IPL playoffs
Player – Team – playoffst Matches – Runs – Average – Strike Rate – 50s – 100s
Virat Kohli – RCB – 16 – 357 – 25.50 – 121.42 – 2 – 0
Virat Kohli in IPL playoffs – all matches
Score – BF – 4s – 6s – SR – Pos – Dismissal – Inns – Opposition – Ground – Date
24* – 17 – 12 – 14 – 1.175 – Not out – 2 – CSK – Johannesburg – 23 May 2009
23 – 6 – 0? – 6? – 87.506 – Stumped – 2 – Chargers – Johannesburg – 24 May 2009
24 – 9 – 7? – 10? – 128.576 – Caught – 2 – MIDY Patil – 21 Apr 2010
70* – 44 – 5 – 3 – 159.093 – Not out – 1 – CSK – Wankhede – 24 May 2011
23 – 6 – 2 – 3 – 66.663 – Bowled – 1 – MI – Chennai – 27 May 2011
28 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 109.373 – LBW – 2 – CSK – Chennai – 28 May 2011
12 – 1 – 0 – 0 – 66.66 – Caught – 1 – RR – Pune – 20 May 2015
20 – 1 – 0 – 0 – 33.332 – Caught – 1 – CSK – Ranchi – 22 May 2015
0 – 2 – 0 – 0 – 0.002 – Bowled – 2 – Guj Lions – Bengaluru – 24 May 2016
44 – 5 – 4 – 2 – 154.282 – Bowled – 2 – SRH – Bengaluru – 29 May 2016
60 – 8 – 4 – 0 – 85.711 – Caught – 1 – SRH – Abu Dhabi – 6 Nov 2020
54 – 2 – 4 – 0 – 104.161 – Caught – 1 – LSG – Eden Gardens – 25 May 2022
80 – 0 – 8 – 0 – 87.501 – Caught – 1 – RR – Ahmedabad – 27 May 2022
52 – 1 – 2 – 0 – 137.501 – Caught – 1 – RR – Ahmedabad – 22 May 2024
44 – 1 – 2 – 0 – 100.002 – Caught – 2 – Punjab Kings – New Chandigarh – 29 May 2025
53 – 3 – 5 – 0 – 122.852 – Caught – 1 – Punjab Kings – Ahmedabad – 3 Jun 2025
Stay connected for updates from the upcoming IPL clash between RCB and GT, along with the latest IPL news, match schedule, and the ongoing battle for the Orange Cap and Purple Cap.
