Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Virat Kohli added yet another milestone to his legendary career, becoming the first Indian and only the fifth player in the world to cross 13,000 runs in T20 cricket. He reached this landmark during RCB’s IPL 2025 match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
Kohli was in vintage form, scoring a blazing 67 off just 42 balls, laced with eight boundaries and two sixes at a strike rate of 159.52. His aggressive yet composed innings anchored RCB’s top order after an early setback.
So far in IPL 2025, Kohli has amassed 164 runs in four matches at an impressive average of 54.66 and a strike rate above 143. With two half-centuries and a top score of 67, he currently stands as the tournament’s sixth-highest run-scorer.
Across his overall T20 career, Kohli now has 13,050 runs from 403 matches at a stellar average of 41.56, including nine centuries and 99 fifties. His highest score remains an unbeaten 122*. He joins an elite club led by Chris Gayle, who tops the T20 charts with 14,562 runs at an average of 36.22, a strike rate over 144, 22 centuries, and 88 fifties, with a best of 175*.
'You need to keep evolving'
Speaking after his impactful half-century, Kohli emphasised the need to adapt and innovate in modern-day T20 cricket. He credited his teammates Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar for their valuable contributions during a crucial phase of the match.
"That was pretty good," Kohli said, reflecting on the team’s performance. "After losing Phil Salt on the second ball, we countered nicely. Dev played a brilliant impact knock and really shifted the momentum. That partnership was vital for setting up a competitive total."
Kohli spoke about adapting his game to meet the evolving demands of T20 cricket. He said, "My strength is to get a feel of the ball early, and once I do that, I can play the shots I want. I tried to innovate, played different shots against spin, and targeted various parts of the ground. In T20s, you have to keep evolving and respond to the situation."
On the pitch conditions, he said, "The wicket wasn’t as easy as it looked. Hardik was taking pace off the ball, making it hard to play shots. But we’ve put up a good score. Hopefully, we can break that jinx today—we haven’t beaten MI at Wankhede in our last six games here."
