Royal Challengers Bengaluru stalwart Virat Kohli created an all-time historical record during his team's record run-chase against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener on Saturday, March 28. Kohli played a stellar 69-run knock from 38 balls as he guided the chase with Devdutt Padikkal doing the major damage with his astonishing 61 from 26 deliveries.
With his 69 in the tournament opener at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, the former RCB skipper has created a major record. Kohli has become the first-ever cricketer to score 4000 runs while chasing in IPL history, further stamping his authority as the chase master.
He enjoys a healthy lead from the rest of the pack, with former SRH and DC star David Warner being a distant second. Apart from Kohli and Warner, only Rohit Sharma has over 3000 runs in IPL chases.
Most runs in IPL run-chases:
1 - Virat Kohli: 4027 runs in 125 innings
2 - David Warner: 3285 runs in 97 innings
3 - Rohit Sharma: 3238 runs in 129 innings
4 - Shikhar Dhawan: 2843 runs in 94 innings
5 - Robin Uthappa: 2832 runs in 115 innings
RCB record fastest-ever IPL chase of over 200 runs
The defending champions have sent early warning signs to the other teams with their record chase in Bengaluru. On the back of Kohli and Padikkal's knocks, the RCB side hunted down 202 in just 15.4 overs. This is now the fastest-ever team chase of 200 runs in the Indian cash-rich league.
'No words for Kohli': Patidar on ex skipper's knock
Meanwhile, the RCB captain Rajat Patidar was in awe of the knock of Kohli. Speaking after the match, the skipper stated that he has no words for the talisman. "No words can describe Virat Kohli. When he is in, the team is always in the chase. He is the No.1 batter," Patidar said after the match.
Asked if he was happy, Patidar replied: "The way boys played and this was a season opener. Everyone chipped in and did the job. Duffy was playing his first game, and the way he played and the wickets he took were the turning point."
