RCB’s Virat Kohli has been remarkably consistent in the IPL and piled on the big runs one season after the other.
Virat Kohli created history as he notched up an aggregate of 500 runs this season, achieving the feat for a record seventh time in his glorious IPL career. Kohli hammered a brilliant unbeaten 70 off just 44 deliveries as the Challengers gunned down the 201-run target set by the Titans in just 16 overs with nine wickets intact in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Virat Kohli celebrates his fifty runs (AP)
Kohli has been remarkably consistent in the IPL and piled on the big runs one season after the other. He had created history in 2016 when he piled on an aggregate of 973 runs which is not only his highest in a season but also the highest for any player ever in a single edition of the IPL! Kohli registered four hundreds and seven fifties in the tournament.
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So, what makes Kohli’s 500-Club feat special this year? We look at some of the numbers which stand out from the season.
Scaling Mount 500 for record 7th season
Kohli has scaled the 500-Club in the IPL on seven occasions. He has had an aggregate of 500 or more runs in a season in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2023 and 2024. Only one other batter – David Warner – has achieved this feat. The Australian crossed the 500-Club in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2023. Next on the list are KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan who have achieved the feat five times each.
The second-highest aggregate after 10 innings
Kohli has an aggregate of 500 runs in 10 IPL innings this season. It is his second-highest aggregate after the first 10 innings in a season. Kohli had scored a whopping 568 runs after the first 10 innings in 2016. He had an aggregate of 419 runs after the first 10 innings last season which is at number 3 on this list.
The second-highest batting average in a season
Kohli’s batting average this season stands at a staggering 71.43 – the second-highest (after 2016) amongst all seasons.
The second-highest batting strike rate in a season
Kohli has a batting strike rate of 147.5 this season. It is his second-best scoring rate ever in a season. It is a remarkable achievement given all the chatter around his sluggish approach and Kohli’s struggles with his scoring rate in the last few editions. Just for perspective, Kohli had a strike rate of just 119.2 between IPL 2020-2022. There was a significant increase last season as his strike rate shot to 139.8. Kohli has taken it a few notches higher this season.
Combining consistency with a high scoring-rate
Kohli produced six high impact performances in 2016 where he scored 40+ at a strike rate of 150+. He has already produced four such innings this season with a minimum of four matches to go. Kohli had four such performances in 2018 too but over the entire season.
The highest strike rate vs spin in 7 years
One of Kohli’s biggest challenges in the last few seasons was his lack of intent against the spinners in the middle overs. Kohli had a strike rate of 108.9 against spin in 2020, 100 in 2021, 108.1 in 2022 and 112.8 in 2023. His approach against the slower bowlers has undergone a massive transformation this year. Kohli has a strike rate of 135.7 against spin in IPL 2024! It is his best performance against spin since 2017 and overall his fourth-best in a season (min. 50 runs vs spin).
The best strike rate in the middle overs after 2016
Kohli was often criticised for slowing down the tempo considerably in the middle overs (7-16) in the last few seasons. He has silenced his critics this season and has a strike rate of 137.2 in this phase of play. It is his second most fluent middle-over season after 2016 where he scored at a strike rate of 150.8 during that phase of play. Just for perspective, Kohli had a strike rate of 118.6 in 2019, 108.1 in 2020, 106.5 in 2021 and 115.2 in 2022 in the middle-over period.
Positive intent from the word-go
Another issue which hampered Kohli’s batting in the last few seasons was the number of deliveries he was consuming to get his eye in. It was slowing down the run-rate and putting pressure on the non-striker to take undue risks and accelerate. Kohli has addressed that concern quite brilliantly this season and has shown intent right from the first ball he has faced in the innings. Kohli has a strike rate of 154.2 in the first 10 deliveries this season. It is his best scoring rate off the first 10 balls faced ever in a season! His previous best season on this count was 2019 when the corresponding strike rate was 146.5.
Best balls/boundary in a season
One of the major differences in Kohli’s attitude and approach this season has been his conscious effort to hit boundaries. Kohli has already smashed 46 hits to the fence and 20 over it this season! He is scoring a boundary once every 5.1 deliveries which is his best frequency ever in a season – even better than 2016 when he hit a boundary every 5.3 deliveries.
