Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, aka Cheeku, is the king of TATA IPL. The Royal Challengers Bangalore stalwart has been with the franchise since the inaugural season in 2008 and has broken almost every batting record in the tournament's history. Kohli is the all-time leading run-scorer in the TATA IPL with a staggering 7263 runs in 237 matches at an average of over 37 and SR of over 130 His tally includes a record 7 centuries and 50 half-centuries.

Kohli's greatest IPL season came in 2016 when he won the Orange Cap amassing an astonishing 973 runs, still the most by any batter in a single edition. That year, he smashed 4 hundreds and 7 fifties at an average of 81.08 and strike rate of 152.03, leading RCB to the final.

While an IPL trophy has eluded Kohli so far, he has been the heart and soul of RCB, having captained them from 2013 to 2021. He is the only player to represent a single franchise (Royal Challengers Bangalore) in every season of the TATA IPL since its inception in 2008.

In the TATA IPL auction, Kohli has always been RCB's first-choice retention. In 2022, he was retained for a whopping Rs 15 crore, making him one of the highest-paid players.

Off the field, Kohli lives in Mumbai with his wife and actor Anushka Sharma, daughter Vamika, and son Akaay.

On the international stage, he has dominated across formats. Circa March 2024, In 113 Tests, Kohli has 8848 runs at 49.15 with 29 centuries. In ODIs, he has 13,848 runs in 292 matches at 58.67 with 50 tons. Kohli is also India's leading run-getter in T20Is with 4037 runs at 51.75.

He is the only one with any chance of beating Sachin Tendulkar’s colossal batting records. He has already eclipsed his ODI hundred record of 49 by making 51. He will likely also match or better Sachin’s record of a hundred international hundreds before he retires, given that he is at 80 already with a few years of cricket still left in him. On the all time international runs charts, he is within touching distance of #3 Ponting and #2 Sangakkara and will likely eclipse Sachin’s 34,357 records if he plays for another 4-5 years which is likely given his insane fitness levels.

At 35, Kohli remains the biggest draw in the TATA IPL. Fans will hope he can maintain his insatiable hunger for runs and finally lead RCB to that elusive title in the 2024 season.

Irrespective of that, Kohli's legacy as an IPL legend is already secure.

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