Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood largely did the heavy lifting for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as they took on Delhi Capitals (DC) in an IPL 2026 encounter on Monday. Even with Bengaluru required only 76 runs after restricting Delhi to 75 all out, Virat Kohli still found a way to add another landmark to his record. The batting icon contributed 23 runs off 15 balls, extending his growing list of achievements in the tournament.
Those 23 runs mattered in the broader context of IPL history. With the knock, Kohli moved into second place on the most-runs list by a batter against a single franchise. Notably, the top position is also his—he has compiled 1174 runs versus Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Following his innings, Kohli’s total against Delhi rose to 1172.
Kohli’s climb came at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, where he also pushed past Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma, who has made 1161 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL history. With his 1172-mark against DC, Kohli now sits ahead in the head-to-head run tally that highlights dominance against specific opponents.
The list continues to underline how consistently Kohli has performed against the RCB-and-opposition set-ups over the years. He also occupies the fourth spot, having struck 1159 runs against Punjab Kings (PBKS). The only player outside India in the top five is David Warner, who has amassed 1134 runs against PBKS during his IPL career.
Most runs against an opponent in IPL:
1174 – Virat Kohli vs CSK
1172 – Virat Kohli vs DC
1161 – Rohit Sharma vs KKR
1159 – Virat Kohli vs PBKS
1134 – David Warner vs PBKS
One striking feature of this record is that Kohli is the only batter to appear more than once within the top five—an illustration of how often he has repeatedly delivered against the same franchise across seasons.
Given the tempo and consistency with which Kohli has been scoring in this IPL season, there is a real possibility that he could end up capturing the top three places on this specific list before the current campaign concludes.
On the RCB front, the overall tournament picture remains encouraging. The franchise has started strongly, having lost only two matches while winning six of their opening eight games. With 12 points already secured, RCB are set up with a clear path into the IPL 2026 playoffs, having effectively taken one step toward qualification.
