Virat Kohli becomes first player to score 9,000 T20 runs for a single franchise

Virat Kohli etched his name deeper into cricketing history on Tuesday night as he became the first player to score over 9,000 runs in T20s for a single franchise.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) icon achieved the feat during a blistering innings against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Stadium in the final group stage match of IPL 2025.

Kohli’s landmark moment came amid a commanding performance, where he struck a fluent 54 off just 30 deliveries. With his eighth half-century of the season, Kohli not only helped his side mount a strong chase of LSG's imposing 228-run target but also surpassed Australian great David Warner to register the most fifties in IPL history — 63.

Combining statistics from both the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the now-defunct Champions League T20 (CLT20), Kohli has amassed 9,030 runs in 280 matches and 271 innings for RCB. His tally includes eight centuries and 65 half-centuries, scored at an average of 39.60 and a strike rate of 133.69.

In CLT20 alone, Kohli featured in 15 matches, scoring 424 runs at an average of 38.54 and a strike rate of 150.35. In the IPL, he has amassed 8,606 runs in 265 matches, including a highest score of 113*, cementing his position as the tournament's all-time leading run-scorer.

The 36-year-old stalwart now stands far ahead of his peers, with Rohit Sharma being the next-best in terms of franchise T20 runs, having scored 6,060 runs for Mumbai Indians.

Kohli also became the first batter in IPL history to record over 600 runs in a single season five times — a milestone he reached in 2013, 2016, 2023, 2024, and now in 2025. His best came in 2016, when he racked up a staggering 973 runs, including four centuries.

— With inputs from ANI