Virat Kohli Becomes First Player Ever to Score 600-Plus Runs in Four Consecutive IPL Seasons

Virat Kohli has done it again. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru opener has become the first batter in IPL history to post 600 or more runs across four straight seasons—2023 through 2026. He sealed the mark in dramatic fashion during Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on May 26.

Kohli walked in with 557 runs already in the bank this season. He needed exactly 43 more. He got them in 25 balls—five fours and one six—before Jason Holder bowled him in the ninth over. The landmark crossed on the fifth ball of the eighth over. RCB then posted a massive total and hammered GT by 92 runs to reach the final.

The Innings That Made History

The tension hung thick in the cool mountain air. Kohli, still opening at 37, faced the new ball with the same hunger that has defined his career. When the decisive six cleared the ropes, the stadium shook. Teammates swarmed him. Fans who had waited years for sustained excellence like this screamed until they were hoarse. This was not just another innings. It was proof that one of cricket’s most consistent performers refuses to slow down.

RCB’s batters set the tone early. Rajat Patidar’s explosive 93 off 33 balls, packed with nine sixes, helped push the total past 250. Kohli’s cameo kept the momentum alive right when it mattered most. GT never recovered, folding for 162 as RCB’s bowlers struck early and often.

Runs Across Four Consecutive Seasons

Total across these four seasons: 2,637 runs. That is elite production year after year while opening the batting and taking on the toughest conditions with the new ball.

Historical Context: No One Else Has Come Close

Chris Gayle and KL Rahul each managed three consecutive 600-run seasons—the previous high-water mark. Kohli has now blown past that with four straight and six overall, including his 634-run campaign in 2013 and the iconic 973 in 2016. No other player in IPL history has six such seasons.

Why This Record Matters at Age 37

Most players at this stage see their numbers fade. Kohli posted a strike rate of 163.82 this season—among the best of his career—while still facing the new ball and building innings from ball one. His consistency is not flashy. It is surgical. He reads conditions, manipulates fields, and accelerates at exactly the right moments. That combination, sustained across four full seasons, is unmatched in T20 cricket.

RCB fans know the feeling. They have watched their franchise lean on Kohli through lean years and now reap the rewards of his continued excellence. This achievement adds another chapter to a legacy already filled with records, but the real story is the hunger that still burns at 37.

King Kohli has rewritten the record books once more. RCB is headed to the final. The rest of the league is still chasing.