In Sunday’s IPL 2025 encounter between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh, Virat Kohli was outstanding at the bat. After being selected to bat first in the afternoon match, PBKS amassed 157/6 in 20 overs.
A few hitters from PBKS had strong starts but were unable to turn them into significant runs. Josh Inglis concluded with a 29-run knock off 17 balls, while opener Prabhsimran Singh struck 33 off 17 balls.
The RCB bowlers perfectly implemented their game strategies during the match. Two wickets belonged to both Suyash Sharma and Krunal Pandya while Romario Shepherd claimed one wicket during the match.
During the chase Kohli showed his traditional form to score a fantastic fifty. Kohli batted throughout the inning and scored 73 runs from 54 deliveries without getting out. Padikkal delivered 61 runs throughout 35 balls in his match performance.
RCB won by seven wickets after chasing the score in 18.5 overs. This season, the team has now won five consecutive away games. With five victories from eight games, they are ranked third in the standings. After eight games, PBKS is in fourth place with the same number of points.
As he smashed an all-time IPL record and accomplished a few milestones, it was a game that would never be forgotten by Kohli. Let’s examine them:
1. Virat Kohli now has the most fifty-plus scores in IPL history
The record for the most fifty-plus scores in the history of the league is now held by former RCB captain Virat Kohli. Eight hundreds are among the 67 occasions the seasoned player has reached the 50-run milestone.
He overtook David Warner, an Australian opener who had previously held the tournament record with 66 fifty-plus scores. With 8,326 runs at an average of 39.27 in 252 innings, Kohli is also the tournament’s top scorer.
2. Virat Kohli equals Rohit Sharma for most IPL Player of the Match awards by an Indian
Virat Kohli’s outstanding knock against PBKS earned him the Player of the Match (POTM) award. The right-hander won the accolade for the nineteenth time in his IPL career.
His 18 POTM awards eclipsed that of Chennai Super Kings (CKS) great MS Dhoni. With 19 POTM awards to their names, Kohli and Rohit Sharma currently hold the record for most Indian players in the competition. With 22 accolades, Chris Gayle is at the top of the list, followed by AB de Villiers with 25.
3. Virat Kohli matches Shikhar Dhawan for most unbeaten fifty-plus scores in successful run chases
One of cricket’s greatest run chasers, Virat Kohli frequently lives up to the moniker “Chase Master.” In the IPL, he also boasts an impressive chase record.
He was unbeaten at a fifty-plus score in successful run chases for the twelfth time with his 73*-run knock. The 36-year-old tied the mark set by Shikhar Dhawan. Next on the list are David Warner (9 times) and Gautam Gambhir (10 times).
