Royal Challengers Bengaluru batting star Virat Kohli’s sharp return to top form against Kolkata Knight Riders didn’t just lift his team—it also moved one of the IPL’s biggest characters. After suffering two consecutive scoreless outings, Kohli struck a commanding unbeaten 105 off 60 balls to steer RCB to a six-wicket win over KKR in their IPL 2026 encounter on Wednesday at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. The innings underlined why Kohli remains such a vital presence for the defending champions.
The moment even caught the attention of KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo. In a video posted by RCB on their Instagram page, Bravo was seen embracing Kohli and urging him to stay in the game, telling him, “Play as long as possible, the sport needs you.”
Kohli’s knock also carried a major milestone beyond the match. He became the first Indian batter to reach 14,000 runs in T20 cricket, joining an elite group worldwide as only the sixth player to cross that total in the format.
On the back of that landmark, Kohli produced a standout hundred versus KKR, showcasing a range of strokes and timing that left little room for the opposition. It was his ninth IPL century, underlining the consistency he has built over years in the tournament.
In the broader all-time T20 run-scoring rankings, Kohli finds himself behind the leading names: Chris Gayle (14,562), Kieron Pollard (14,482), Alex Hales (14,449), David Warner (14,284) and Jos Buttler (14,200).
There was more history attached to Kohli’s rise to 14,000 T20 runs. He did it in the quickest way in terms of innings used, reaching the mark in 409 innings and eclipsing Chris Gayle’s previous benchmark of 423.
With nine IPL centuries plus one international T20 hundred, Kohli became the first Indian batter to notch 10 total centuries in the shortest format.
When it comes to the record for the most T20 hundreds, Chris Gayle tops the chart with 22 centuries. He is followed by Babar Azam with 13, while David Warner and Virat Kohli are tied for third place with 10 centuries each.
