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Virat Kohli scored his first century of the ongoing 2024 Indian Premier League season for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Rajasthan Royals at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday.
Kohli reached his hundred off just 67 balls after RCB opted to bat first. This was Kohli’s eighth IPL century and ninth overall in his T20 career, extending his record for most hundreds in IPL history.
The 35-year-old Kohli had hit two centuries last season while accumulating 639 runs in 14 matches. This knock also marked his highest ever score against RR in the IPL.
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After going eight seasons without a century, Kohli broke the drought with a record four hundreds in the 2016 IPL season where he led RCB to the finals. Kohli amassed 973 runs that season – an IPL record that still stands today.
Throughout IPL history, a total of 87 centuries have been scored. While Kohli holds the overall record with eight tons, his former RCB teammate Chris Gayle is second with six hundreds including his 175 off just 30 balls against Pune Warriors in 2013, which is the highest individual score in IPL history. David Warner, Shane Watson and KL Rahul have four centuries each while AB de Villiers, Sanju Samson and Shubman Gill have three each.
The record for most centuries in a single IPL season is 12, achieved in 2023. Nine players scored centuries that season, with Gill hitting three and Kohli two. The least hundreds in a season is two, scored in 2009. Manish Pandey was the first Indian batter to score an IPL century, achieving the feat for RCB in 2009.
Punjab Kings have had the most centurions over the years with 12 players scoring 14 hundreds. Rajasthan Royals also have 14 centuries but from just seven different batters.
Kohli’s impressive 8th IPL ton against Rajasthan on Saturday marked the end of a 16-year wait for an Indian Premier League fifty at Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Returning after a paternity break, Kohli continued his stellar form this season with his 3rd fifty in 5 matches.
In addition, Kohli became the first player in IPL history to go past 7,500 runs, achieving the feat in his 242nd innings. The next closest is Shikhar Dhawan with 6,755 runs in 221 matches.
Kohli and RCB captain Faf du Plessis added a 100-run opening stand, their fifth century partnership for RCB in the IPL. Kohli’s innings of 3 sixes and 4 boundaries displayed his attacking intent after Rajasthan opted to bowl first.
Notably, Kohli’s previous best in Jaipur was just 39 runs at an average of 21 against the 2008 champions. However, on Saturday, Kohli took on Rajasthan’s pacers and even dispatched part-timer Riyan Parag into the stands.
Furthermore, Kohli cemented his position in the Orange Cap race by going past 250 runs this season, becoming the first to reach this mark. He leads RR’s Riyan Parag who scored 181 runs in his first three matches this season.
