Abhishek Sharma vs Virat Kohli - comparing their stats after 69 IPL matches

Abhishek Sharma has turned out to be one of the most explosive openers India has ever produced. The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter lit up the Indian Premier League (IPL) with his sensational century against Punjab Kings on Saturday (April 12).

With a knock of 141 off 55 balls, Sharma has registered the highest individual score by an Indian batter in the IPL.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli has been a legendary batter in the cash-rich league, having scored the most runs. Since making his debut in 2008, Kohli has so far amassed 8,190 runs in 257 games, with eight centuries and 57 fifties.

On that note, let's take a look at how Abhishek Sharma has fared in comparison to Virat Kohli after their first 69 appearances in the tournament.

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#1 Most runs

Abhishek Sharma made his IPL debut in 2008 for Delhi Capitals, where he played three games. From the subsequent edition, he has been a part of the SRH setup. It was the 2022 edition, where he showed his talent by scoring 426 runs.

Thereafter, Sharma smashed 484 runs in 2024 and helped the franchise to emerge as the runners-up. So far, the southpaw has garnered 1,569 runs in 67 innings in the IPL.

Player	Matches	Innings	Runs
Abhishek Sharma	69	67	1,569
Virat Kohli	69	61	1,404

Until his 69th IPL game in 2012, Virat Kohli had accumulated 1,404 runs in 61 innings. In the Qualifier 1 of IPL 2011, Kohli played a terrific knock of 70* off 44 balls against Chennai Super Kings, which unfortunately came in a losing cause.

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#2 Average & Strike rate

Abhishek Sharma had made only 22 appearances in four seasons until 2021. During this phase, he batted in the lower middle-order and could not display consistency.

Nevertheless, since the 2022 edition, the left-hander has been batting as an opener or at No. 3, which has resulted in him returning with impressive performances. Sharma currently holds an average of 26.15 and a strike rate of 159.78.

Player	Innings	Average	Strike rate
Abhishek Sharma	67	26.15	159.78
Virat Kohli	61	27.00	119.69

Virat Kohli largely batted in the middle-order during his first 69 games of the IPL. In these appearances, he maintained an average of 27 and a strike rate of 119.69.

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#3 Most 50+ scores

Abhishek Sharma's first fifty came in the 2012 season against Chennai Super Kings, where he hit 75 off 50 to help the side in sealing a 155-run chase. With a brilliant century on Saturday, he has registered eight 50+ scores in the IPL.

Player	Innings	50/100	Total 50+ scores
Abhishek Sharma	67	7/1	8
Virat Kohli	61	7	7

Virat Kohli crossed the 50-run mark for the first time against Deccan Chargers in 2009, hitting 50 off 32 in a losing cause. In total, he had scored seven fifties until this point in his IPL career.

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#4 Runs in a winning cause

So far, Abhishek Sharma has slammed 995 runs at an average of 41.46 and a mind-boggling stike rate of 184.94 in a winning cause for his respective franchises. He smashed 75* off just 28 balls against Lucknow Super Giants in 2024 to help SRH complete the 166-run chase under 10 overs.

Player	Innings in a winning cause	Total Runs	50s/100	Average	Strike rate
Abhishek Sharma	29	995	6/1	41.46	184.94
Virat Kohli	29	679	2	29.52	119.72

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli had contributed 679 runs at an average of 29.52 in a winning cause for RCB. His best knock of 67 off 42 helped the side in posting 181 and beating Mumbai Indians by 26 runs.

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Conclusion

Abhishek Sharma emerges as a better batter than Virat Kohli in almost all the aspects of the game, apart from having a slightly lower average. With a strike rate of 159.78, he has become a force to reckon with in the IPL.