3 min readUpdated: May 14, 2026 12:15 PM IST
Virat Kohli came into Wednesday’s Indian Premier League (IPL) match with two back-to-back ducks behind him. He ended up staying unbeaten on 105 off 60 balls and engineered Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). In the process, the 37-year-old put up a few firsts in the format.
This was Kohli’s 10th T20 century. He is the first Indian to have scored as many tons in the shortest format, and just the fourth overall after Chris Gayle (22), Babar Azam (13) and David Warner (10). Over the course of the innings, Kohli also completed 14,000 runs in the format. He has got there in 409 innings, breaking Gayle’s record for the fastest to 14,000 T20 runs. The West Indies great had got there in 423 innings.
This was Kohli’s 279th IPL match, making him the player with most appearances in the league. He was tied with Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni until Wednesday, with both players tied on 278 matches. Kohli also won player of the match for his efforts. It was the 21st time he won the award in the IPL, the joint-most by any Indian, alongside Rohit. Only AB de Villiers (25) and Gayle (22) have more overall.
Kohli said in the post-match presentation ceremony that he knows the end of his career is nearer than ever before and he just feels its an honour to still be competing at this level. “What an honour to be competing at this level and against the very best still,” Kohli said.
“Just give my heart and soul out there because it is going to finish one day. Want to make the most of it, and look forward to pressure situations.”
Kohli admitted that the two previous ducks was on his mind when he walked out in Raipur on Wednesday. “The fact I did not score runs, it eats me up because I have been playing well. It bothers you because that has been the goal – to be the best version,” Kohli added.
RCB were chasing 193, and Kohli approached the innings with patience early on. He rotated strike, waited for loose deliveries and gradually settled into rhythm before accelerating through the second half of the chase. His hundred came off 58 balls in the 19th over.
