Virat Kohli IPL Career

One of the greatest cricketers to have ever featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Virat Kohli has been a constant at the Royal Challengers Bangalore since he was signed by the franchise as a 19-year-old in 2008. Kohli is the only cricketer to feature for a single franchise for 15 consecutive seasons. He also led them between 2013-2021, and while he continued to spearhead the franchise as a batter, the 33-year-old could not lead them to the elusive title.

Kohli was picked by the Bengaluru franchise at a reported prize of USD 30,000 ahead of the inaugural edition while he was leading the Indian team in the U19 World Cup. Interestingly, the Delhi Capitals (then Daredevils) were also interested in opting for the U19 captain, but they instead went for left-arm seamer, Pradeep Sangwan.

Earlier in 2023, Kohli recounted the same on RCB social platforms. He also described RCB picking him as an 'impactful moment' in his life. In the past three years, Kohli has repeatedly reiterated that he will finish his IPL career at RCB.

"We were all in Malaysia for the U-19 World Cup. I remember the day when the drafts were happening. The U-19 dynamic was a little different, because we very rightly so had a money cap, if I could say. That was the only time where I saw a restriction on how much you can be picked for if you haven't played for India."

‘’RCB picked me, that I think, in hindsight, I feel like was such an impactful moment in my life that I didn't realize at that time. But now when I look back, things would have been very different to what they are now. I do not want to have it any other way than this."

Virat Kohli IPL Teams from 2008-24

The 33-year-old has featured for only 1 franchise- the Royal Challengers Bangalore- since making his debut in 2008. It was a humble beginning for young Virat as he struggled to make an impact on a side that was struggling to forge an identity.

However, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Kevin Pietersen, Daniel Vettori, Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis, and Dale Steyn was the best thing that could have happened in his formative years.

After a couple of poor seasons with the bat, Virat eventually found his bearings in the 2010 edition as he notched up 307 runs in 13 innings @ 27.9/144.81 with one 50+ score.

With his stock rising in international cricket, it came as no surprise that Kohli was the only player to be retained by RCB in the 2011 mega-auction.

He responded in style as he smashed 500+ runs in the 2011 edition and by the time 2012 rolled around, it was clear that Kohli would take over the leadership duties of the franchise. The inevitable eventually happened in 2013 when RCB announced Kohli as their full-time skipper ahead of the 6th edition.

Kohli's ascension to captaincy coincided with his best years in the IPL as a batter as he smashed 634, 359, 505, and a barely believable 973 runs in the next 4 seasons.

Kohli broke all sorts of records in the 2016 edition, hammering 973 runs in 16 innings @ 81.08/152.03 with the help of 4 100+ scores- a record that has stood the test of time. He also led RCB to the finals in that 2016 edition, where they eventually lost to the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The next three seasons proved to be disastrous for Kohli- the captain- as RCB finished at the bottom end of the table. Things improved from 2020 onwards as RCB made it to the playoffs, only to lose in the Eliminator. Kohli's form in the past three seasons took a hit as he struggled for rhythm, especially against the spinners.

In September 2021, the 33-year-old shocked everyone by announcing that he would be stepping down from leadership duties following the end of the season.

His quest for leading RCB to a title win ended in heartbreak as the Bangalore franchise lost to KKR in the Eliminator.

In IPL 2023, Virat Kohli bounced back from a slump in form, by amassing 639 runs across 14 innings and scoring the fourth-most in the season overall. He is all set to play in the 17th edition of the IPL as RCB has yet again retained him for a sum of INR 15 crores.

Virat Kohli IPL Auction Price

With IPL drafting a policy for all the uncapped players as well as every franchise bagging the leverage to pick two U-19 players for the team in 2008, Virat Kohli was picked for his base price of INR 20 lakhs for the then salary cap set for the U-19 players and the rest, as they say, is history as Kohli went on to represent the franchise for years to come and is still playing, for a price of INR 15 crores, for the past two seasons and has been retained by RCB for the same price in IPL 2024 as well.

Virat Kohli IPL Runs Year-wise

Virat Kohli has been one of the greatest batters to play in IPL history. He has not only been consistent over the years but also created milestones that might arguably not be broken. Kohli is the highest run-getter in IPL history, amassing 7263 runs across 237 matches and he also holds the record for scoring the most runs in an IPL season (973 runs in IPL 2016).

Virat Kohli IPL wickets year-wise

Virat Kohli is a part-time medium-pacer, who bowls right-handed. He used to bowl occasionally during his early years and provide crucial breakthroughs for his team, but he has not bowled in the IPL for about 8 years now.

Virat Kohli IPL Records

Virat Kohli is one of the very few cricketers to have played for a single franchise, right from the inception of the IPL. He also has the “most runs by any batter in a single season” record and the “most runs in IPL history” to his name.”

Virat Kohli As Batter

Virat Kohli As Captain

Virat Kohli as Bowler

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