IPL 2025: Virat Kohli Becomes First Indian to Smash 13,000 T20 Runs, Joins Elite Club with Gayle, Hales, Malik & Pollard

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IPL 2025: In a moment that lit up the Wankhede Stadium like never before, Virat Kohli etched his name in the history books once again—this time by becoming the first Indian cricketer to cross 13,000 runs in T20 cricket.

The monumental feat arrived during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s high-voltage clash against Mumbai Indians in Match 20 of the IPL 2025. The milestone moment came in true Kohli style: a trademark cover drive off Trent Boult in the third over, raced to the boundary ropes and brought up his 13,000^th run in T20s.

With this, he joined an elite club of just five men’s cricketers to ever reach this landmark—alongside Chris Gayle, Alex Hales, Shoaib Malik, and Kieron Pollard. Kohli’s feat came in his 386^th innings from 403 matches, making him the second-fastest to the mark, behind Gayle who needed 381 innings.

“I’ve always believed in consistency over flash. Milestones come and go, but passion and hard work stay forever,” Kohli said during the post-match interaction.

A Career of Glittering Firsts

At 36, Kohli continues to redefine excellence in T20 cricket. He also brought up 100 T20 fours during the same innings and notched a swift fifty off just 29 balls. With this latest half-century, his career tally now stands at 98 T20 fifties, just two away from an unprecedented century of 50s in the shortest format.

Before the match, Kohli’s stats were already staggering: 12,983 runs at an average of 41.47 and a strike rate of 134.20, including 9 centuries. His latest knock took him to 13,001* runs, keeping him in the top tier of T20 icons globally.

RCB’s One-Man Army

Kohli has been synonymous with RCB since the inception of the IPL, and his loyalty has paid off in numbers. He remains the highest run-scorer in IPL history, having breached the 8,000-run mark, a record untouched by any other. His 8 IPL centuries across 256 matches all came in RCB colours—a testament to his class and longevity.

The Wankhede crowd roared as Kohli also became the first Indian to play 400 T20 matches, adding to his already elite tally of 100 Test caps and 300 ODI appearances. Few in world cricket boast such a triple crown of experience.

Marching With Legends

Kohli’s latest achievement also included becoming the leading scorer against Gujarat after scoring seven runs, and he now needs just 44 more to reach 3,500 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where he already holds the record for most runs at a single venue in IPL history.

The Legacy Continues

Kohli may have stepped away from international T20s following India’s glorious 2024 T20 World Cup triumph, but his bat shows no signs of slowing. With another IPL season unfolding and the runs still flowing, Kohli’s pursuit of greatness looks far from done.

“He’s not just the King of RCB, he’s the monarch of milestones,” a fan tweeted after the landmark, summing up what every cricket lover felt.