Royal Challengers Bengaluru batsman Virat Kohli is on the verge of making history in Wednesday's IPL eliminator against the Rajasthan Royals. Kohli needs just 29 runs to become the first cricketer to reach 8,000 runs in the Indian Premier League. The veteran batsman is already the tournament's leading scorer with 7,971 runs at an average of 38.69 and a strike rate of 131.94, including eight centuries and 55 fifties.
Read Also | IPL 2024: Security Threat to Virat Kohli, RCB Cancel Practice Session and Press Conference in Ahmedabad; 4 Arrested on Terror Suspicion
The 35-year-old has silenced critics who questioned his strike rate in the shorter format. He's the leading run-scorer of the IPL 2024 with 708 runs in 14 innings at an average of 64.36 and a strike rate of 155.60, including a century and five half-centuries. Kohli played a crucial role in Bengaluru's resurgence after six consecutive defeats. The Faf du Plessis-led team secured six straight wins to reach the playoffs. Bengaluru finished fourth in the standings with 14 points and a net run rate of plus-0.459.
RCB will face Rajasthan Royals at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium, aiming to extend their winning streak and reach Qualifier 2. The Sanju Samson-led Royals have lost four of their last five games, with one abandoned due to rain.
Kohli has also reached the IPL final three times (2009, 2011, 2016) but has yet to win the tournament. In 2016, he scored a record-breaking 973 runs in 16 matches, averaging over 81 and striking at over 152. He smashed four centuries and seven fifties with a best score of 113.
The star batsman needs 266 more runs to surpass his own record for most runs in a single IPL season. With potentially three matches remaining for RCB, Kohli has the opportunity to achieve this milestone if they reach the final.
