Batting superstar Virat Kohli entered his name in the history books on Thursday (April 30) by becoming the first player in the world to score 8000 IPL runs in India. Kohli, who is playing his 232nd IPL match
for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in India on Thursday, needed 12 runs against Gujarat Titans to join the 8000-run club, and he achieved the objective by hitting Kagiso Rabada for a four on the third ball of the second over of RCB’s innings (was batting on 9 when he scored four) at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Kohli smashed Rabada for five fours in a row in the second over, but the South African pacer managed to take revenge against Kohli by dismissing him on the second ball of the fourth over. He faced a total of 13 balls and, with the help of five fours and one six, scored 28 runs.
The total of 28 runs against the Shubman Gill-led side in RCB’s ninth match of IPL 2026 has now extended Kohli’s tally of IPL runs to 8016 in India.
In the list of batters with most IPL runs in India, Kohli is followed by Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan.
Rohit has played 237 IPL matches so far in India for two teams (Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians) and scored 6274 runs. On the other hand, Dhawan finished his IPL career with 5819 runs in 187 IPL matches in India for five teams (Deccan Chargers, Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad).
Most IPL runs in India
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | MATCHES | RUNS | BEST SCORE | 100/50 |
| Virat Kohli | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 232* | 8016* | 113* | 8/60 |
| Rohit Sharma | Deccan Chargers, Mumbai Indians | 237 | 6274 | 109* | 2/43 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | Deccan Chargers, Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad | 187 | 5819 | 99* | 0/47 |
| David Warner | Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad | 154 | 5689 | 126 | 4/55 |
| Suresh Raina | Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Lions | 181 | 4958 | 100* | 1/36 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Rising Pune Supergiant | 184 | 4755 | 105* | 2/29 |
| MS Dhoni | Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiant | 236 | 4740 | 84 | 0/22 |
| KL Rahul | Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants, Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad | 128 | 4497 | 152* | 5/35 |
| Chris Gayle | Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 125 | 4471 | 175* | 6/28 |
| Robin Uthappa | Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Pune Warriors, Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 169 | 4369 | 88 | 0/24 |
Kohli, who became the first batter in the world to score 9000 runs in the IPL on April 27, has also played 16 IPL matches for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in South Africa and 28 in the United Arab Emirates.
In South Africa, he scored 246 runs for the Bengaluru-based franchise in 13 innings, and in the UAE, he amassed a total of 778 runs in 28 innings.
Virat Kohli’s IPL record for RCB
| HOST COUNTRY | MATCHES | RUNS | BEST SCORE | AVERAGE | STRIKE RATE | 100/50 | 4/6s |
| India | 232* | 8016* | 113* | 41.75 | 136.34 | 8/60 | 736/279 |
| South Africa | 16 | 246 | 50 | 22.36 | 112.32 | 0/1 | 22/8 |
| UAE | 28 | 778 | 90* | 33.82 | 119.69 | 0/5 | 55/19 |
| Total | 276* | 9040 | 113* | 40.17 | 134.00 | 8/66 | 813/306 |
In the list of batters with most T20 runs in a tournament in one country, Kohli is followed by James Vince. Vince has scored a total of 6357 runs in 210 matches of the T20 Blast for Hampshire in England.
