Virat Kohli played in the opening match of IPL 2026 – RCB vs Sunrisers Hyderabad at M Chinnaswamy on March 28. He became the first cricketer to appear in every single season of the IPL, from 2008 through 2026, now aged 36. This milestone makes him the only player ever to represent one franchise across all 19 seasons.
His debut was in 2008 against the Kolkata Knight Riders at that same ground. Since then, he’s stayed with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, no change in team despite years passing., he still leads RCB as a public figure and player on the field.
Being the only player in IPL history to have played for just one franchise, Virat Kohli has represented only the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in his entire career.
Besides being the first cricketer to have played in all 19 seasons of the Indian Premier League, Kohli is also the record holder for the highest run-scorer in the history of the tournament, which makes his status even more solid as a legend.
Virat Kohli giving send off to Trevis head.
Never change Kohli saab 😂🔥#RCBvSRH pic.twitter.com/XRVGNeeTdH— 🚩🇮🇳 𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐈 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐑 𝟏𝟖 ❤️ (@82_mohali__) March 28, 2026
Stats of Virat Kohli in the Indian Premier League
| Year | Matches | Innings | Runs | Best Score | Average | Strike Rate | 100s/50s | 4s/6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 13 | 12 | 165 | 38 | 15.00 | 105.09 | 0/0 | 18/4 |
| 2009 | 16 | 13 | 246 | 50 | 22.36 | 112.32 | 0/1 | 22/8 |
| 2010 | 16 | 13 | 307 | 58 | 27.90 | 144.81 | 0/1 | 26/12 |
| 2011 | 16 | 16 | 557 | 71 | 46.41 | 121.08 | 0/4 | 55/16 |
| 2012 | 16 | 15 | 364 | 73* | 28.00 | 111.65 | 0/2 | 33/9 |
| 2013 | 16 | 16 | 634 | 99 | 45.28 | 138.73 | 0/6 | 64/22 |
| 2014 | 14 | 14 | 359 | 73 | 27.61 | 122.10 | 0/2 | 23/16 |
| 2015 | 16 | 16 | 505 | 82* | 45.90 | 130.82 | 0/3 | 35/23 |
| 2016 | 16 | 16 | 973 | 113 | 81.08 | 152.03 | 4/7 | 83/38 |
| 2017 | 10 | 10 | 308 | 64 | 30.80 | 122.22 | 0/4 | 23/11 |
| 2018 | 14 | 14 | 530 | 92* | 48.18 | 139.10 | 0/4 | 52/18 |
| 2019 | 14 | 14 | 464 | 100 | 33.14 | 141.46 | 1/2 | 46/13 |
| 2020 | 15 | 15 | 466 | 90 | 42.36 | 121.35 | 0/3 | 23/11 |
| 2021 | 15 | 15 | 405 | 72* | 28.92 | 119.46 | 0/3 | 43/9 |
| 2022 | 16 | 16 | 341 | 73 | 22.73 | 115.98 | 0/2 | 32/8 |
| 2023 | 14 | 14 | 639 | 101* | 53.25 | 139.82 | 2/6 | 65/16 |
| 2024 | 15 | 15 | 741 | 113* | 61.75 | 154.69 | 1/5 | 62/38 |
| 2025 | 15 | 15 | 657 | 73* | 54.75 | 144.71 | 0/8 | 66/19 |
| 2026 | 1* | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Having won his maiden IPL title in 2025 with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kohli has built one of the most dominant batting legacies in the history of the Indian Premier League. He holds several major records across batting categories, underlining his consistency and longevity
He also tops the list of batters with the most runs against one team in the tournament’s history and has won two Orange Caps so far.
- Most runs in IPL: Virat Kohli (8661)
- Most runs (for one team): Virat Kohli (8661)
- Most runs (against one team): Virat Kohli (1159 runs in 36 matches against Punjab Kings)
- Most runs (in one edition): Virat Kohli (973 in 16 matches of 2016 season)
- Most 100s: 8 centuries
- Most 50s: 63 half-centuries
- Most 50+ scores: 71
- Most IPL matches (for one team): 267 for RCB
- Most boundaries (4 and 6s combined): 1062
- Most fours: 771
- Most sixes (for one team): 291 for RCB
- Most runs (at one stadium): 3202 in 94 matches at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
IPL Salary of Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli continues to be the cornerstone of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, both on and off the field. The franchise retained him for ₹21 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, making him their highest-paid player for both the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
In IPL 2025, Kohli delivered a stellar performance under the leadership of Rajat Patidar, scoring 657 runs in 15 matches and finishing as the season’s leading run-scorer.
Kohli’s IPL Salary Progression:
- 2008–2010: ₹12 lakh per season
- 2011–2014: ₹8 crore per season
- 2016–2017: ₹12 crore per season
- 2018–2021: ₹17 crore per season
- 2022–2024: ₹15 crore per season
- 2025–2026: ₹21 crore per season
This steady rise in earnings reflects Kohli’s immense value, consistency, and long-standing impact in the Indian Premier League.
