In a high-pressure tournament like the Indian Premier League (IPL), it’s a steep task to churn out top-notch performances. But a few players have come out with flying colours, displaying their sheer talent and skill.
Virat Kohli is one of those who has had a stellar IPL career. Kohli has been the most consistent batter throughout the IPL’s history, setting the stage on fire with his breathtaking outings.
In this article, we look at Virat Kohli’s 5 best batting performances in the IPL.
5. 90* (52) vs Chennai Super Kings | 2020
On a tricky surface for batting, Virat Kohli was the lone warrior who kept digging runs with little to no support from the other end.
Batting first, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru found themselves in a fix after losing the first wicket on 13 runs. Then Kohli walked in and stabilised the innings by stitching a composed partnership with Devdutt Padikkal.
Runs weren’t coming off easily, so he kept rotating strikes for singles and punishing a couple of bad balls to the boundary. Between the 11th and 15th overs, RCB lost 3 wickets, and they were on the verge of scoring a below-par total.
Kohli reached his fifty in 39 balls, but then he accelerated the innings by taking on the CSK bowlers in the death overs. The right-hander put pressure on the opposition with his running between the wickets and smashing boundaries.
His death over onslaught helped RCB put up a challenging total of 169 runs on the board. In the end, Kohli remained not out on 90 runs, which included 4 fours and 4 sixes.
4. 56* (29) vs Chennai Super Kings | 2013
Another impressive knock against CSK, though this time in a must-win game. RCB was looking to bag 2 points to have an outside chance of qualifying for the playoffs, but the rain gods had other plans.
It looked like the match would be called off, but it got underway at almost 11 pm with an 8-overs-a-side encounter. CSK won the toss and invited RCB to bat first.
RCB’s captain Virat Kohli himself came out to open the innings with the mighty Chris Gayle. The skipper made his intentions clear by driving the second ball of the innings for a boundary.
In the third over, Kohli smashed R. Ashwin for 2 fours and a six. He continued the momentum in the next over, taking on Chris Morris for 2 boundaries.
At the start of the 6th over, MS Dhoni dropped Kohli’s catch, and the star batter cashed in on the opportunity by going bonkers in the last 3 overs.
Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy crowd witnessed a fiery knock from their captain, who smacked 6 fours and 4 sixes. He accumulated an unbeaten 56 runs off 29 balls at an astounding strike rate of 193.10.
Also Read | 7 Players Who Have Played for Only 1 IPL Team
3. 93* (47) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2013
The 2013 IPL season was crucial for Virat Kohli as it added a new chapter to his cricketing journey as he was appointed the full-time captain of RCB.
Before that, he had proven himself as a batter, but now it was time to step up and lead the team from the front. And he did it by showcasing his blistering knock in a run chase against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
SRH set a target of 162 runs for RCB. Bengaluru’s openers got off to a decent start, however, it didn’t last long as RCB lost its first wicket on 39 runs.
Then Captain Kohli strode onto the crease in the last over of the powerplay, smashing a four off the first ball he faced. However, in the next over, Bengaluru faced another setback as they lost Chris Gayle’s wicket on 47 runs.
Another wicket at this point of the game, and RCB batters would have come under huge pressure. But Kohli didn’t lose his composure and built a 49-run partnership for the third wicket with AB de Villiers.
Initially, Kohli took his time, but once he was set, he targeted Thisara Perera and Amit Mishra, whipping them for fours and sixes.
In the meantime, he completed his half-century in 31 balls and further accelerated the scoring rate as RCB inched closer to the target. Kohli’s commanding knock of an unbeaten 93* off 47 balls helped RCB gun down the target in 17.4 overs.
2. 109 (55) vs Gujarat Lions | 2016
After scoring his second IPL hundred against the Rising Pune Supergiants on May 7, 2016, Virat Kohli had underwhelming outings in consecutive matches. However, the batting maestro made it up by bringing up another century against the Gujarat Lions.
Kohli opened the batting along with Gayle. However, the Universe Boss was out of touch and lost the wicket on 19 runs.
Kohli then forged a formidable partnership of 229 runs with his partner-in-crime AB de Villiers. Both batters took their chances of tearing apart the Gujarat bowlers.
As the death overs kicked in, Kohli got into his groove, taking the bowlers to the cleaners. In the penultimate over of the innings, he whacked 30 runs with 4 sixes, 1 four, and a double, racing to 95 runs.
On the third delivery of the last over, King Kohli brought up his hundred with a straight six. He treated the next delivery to another maximum before falling on a brilliant 109 off 55 balls.
1. 113 (40) vs Kings XI Punjab | 2016
Virat Kohli was in the form of his life in the 2016 season, notching up 4 IPL centuries. The last of the lot came against the Kings XI Punjab at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
This was one hell of a knock from the master batter, as it came in a shortened game of 15 overs each. After rain dominated for a significant time, it was Kohli’s turn to hammer the bowlers.
Kohli blasted off from the first ball he faced, sending it for a boundary. As the game progressed, he took on the Punjab spinners to garner runs at a fast pace.
He reached his 50-run mark in 28 balls and boosted his score with 3 massive sixes. Kohli then didn’t look back and started dealing with boundaries.
The RCB captain notched up his hundred off 47 balls despite playing with stitches on his left hand. He lost his wickets 3 balls later, ending up with 113 runs at a strike rate of 226!
