New Delhi: Virat Kohli created history in the IPL by becoming the first ever player to score more than 4,000 runs while chasing goals on Saturday. He reached the milestone during the opening match of IPL 2026 between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru. Moreover, Kohli also surpassed Shoaib Malik to become the sixth highest run-scorer in T20 cricket overall.
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Hyderabad fight
Sunrisers Hyderabad did not start well, losing early wickets to Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Nitish Reddy in the powerplay. But things turned around thanks to Ishan Kishan, who stepped up as stand-in captain and smashed 80 runs off just 38 balls. He had good support from Ankit Verma who added a quick 43 runs.Their efforts helped Hyderabad post a strong total of 201/9. For Bengaluru, bowlers like Jacob Duffy and Romario Shepherd picked up three wickets each to keep things somewhat under control.
Virat Kohli leads Bengaluru’s chase
Chasing 202, Bengaluru came out with aggression. Star batsman Virat Kohli anchored the innings with an unbeaten 69 off 38 balls. He was well supported by Devdutt Padikkal, who smashed 61 off just 26 balls, and skipper Rajat Patidar, who added a quick 31.Thanks to this explosive knock, Bengaluru were able to finish off the chase in just 15.4 overs, making it the fastest successful chase of 200+ in IPL history. They wrapped up the match with four wickets in hand and began their title defense in style as Kohli stole the show with his historic feat.