Kamal Ghorui
Virat Kohli became the first batter in Indian Premier League (IPL) history to complete 9,000 runs during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s match against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday.Kohli had entered the game needing just 11 runs to reached the landmark with a single on the last ball of the sixth over off Axar Patel.The RCB batter is the leading run-scorer in the history of the tournament and has now become the first player to touch the 9,000-run mark.Before the match, Kohli had scored 8,989 runs in 274 matches and 266 innings at an average of 39.95 and a strike rate of 133.76, with eight centuries and 66 fifties. His highest IPL score remains 113 not out.This season as well, Kohli has been among the most consistent batters for RCB. Before the Delhi Capitals game, he was sixth in the Orange Cap standings with 328 runs in seven matches at an average of 54.66 and a strike rate of 162.18, including three fifties and a best of 81.Kohli has also remained RCB’s most dependable batter while chasing targets.Since the 2023 IPL season, he has fallen for single digits only once in 21 chases, scoring 1,087 runs at an average of 72.46 and a strike rate of 155.5, with one century and 11 fifties.He has also scored more than 600 runs in each of the last three IPL seasons since 2023 and looks set for a fourth straight 600-plus campaign.Earlier in the match, Royal Challengers Bengaluru bundled out Delhi Capitals for 75, lowest score of this season, in their IPL match here on Monday.Opting to bowl, pace duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/5) and Josh Hazlewood (4/12) shared seven wickets, while Rasikh Salam Dar (1/21) and Syuash Sharma (1/7) also contributed.For DC, Abishek Porel (30), David Miller (19) and Kyle Jamieson (12) provided some respectability to the total after being reduced to 8 for 6 in 4th over.
