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As Virat Kohli enters his 18th season in the most valuable cricket league in the world, age is not on his side. At 36 years old, Kohli is not getting any younger hence the Championship window is getting shorter. King Kohli has had one of the most storied IPL careers and RCB fans will be hoping that the 18th season could finally be the year for the number 18’s IPL curse to end.
Virat Kohli is one of the very few cricketers who have played the IPL every year since its inaugural season. Virat Kohli made his IPL debut on April 19th, 2008 for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. However, his IPL debut did not go to plan at all as Virat Kohli got out for just 1 run and RCB were hammered by KKR. It was the same match in which Brandon McCullum smashed 158 runs and KKR knocked over RCB for just 82 runs and won the match by 140 runs.
Ever since his debut, Virat Kohli has blossomed into the cornerstone of RCB franchise over the years. He’s undoubtedly been RCB’s greatest ever player and also captained the franchise from 2013 to 2021. He’s been to three IPL finals with the team, one as a captain and has come out on the losing side on all three occasions. In his full time role as the captain of the franchise, Virat kohli oversaw a total of 140 matches. Out of these, Kohli won a total of 66 matches while losing 70 matches in total.
He’s played a total of 252 matches, and scored a whopping total of 8004 runs at a career strike rate of 131.97.
Ahead of the Tata IPL 2025 retentions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), decided to retain the services of Virat Kohli for a whopping Rs 21 Crore. Which means, if Virat Kohli plays all the 14 league games in IPL in 2025 then he will be earning Rs 1.5 Crore per game. In case Royal Challengers Bengaluru qualify for the playoffs and reach the final, then Virat Kohli would’ve played 17 matches, which means he will earn Rs 1.24 Crore per match.
This will make Virat Kohli the fourth highest earning player in this year’s IPL after Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer. Alongside Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli is among the top 3 highest earners in IPL history.Entering his 18th IPL season, Virat Kohli has earned approximately 173 Crores across 18 seasons. Here is a detailed breakdown of how much salary Virat Kohli has earned per year in IPL excluding match bonuses.
In 2024, Virat Kohli made a strong comeback with an impressive strike rate of 154.70. Scoring 741 runs with an average of 61.75, he showcased his ability to adapt his game to modern-day T20 cricket. But once again despite an incredible season, RCB lost to Rajasthan Royals in the eliminator of the tournament.
2022 was a tough year for Kohli, with his average dipping to a career-low of 22.73. Despite his established reputation, he struggled to find his rhythm, managing only 341 runs in 16 matches. This year was a reflection of his battle with form, but he has since rebounded in later seasons.
His fielding has been exceptional, with his best season for catches coming in 2016, where he took 83 catches, making him one of the best fielders in the league.
Kohli has been a consistent presence in the IPL, playing 16 matches in each season from 2011 to 2016, except in 2017 and 2022, when he played fewer matches. His ability to remain fit and available year after year has been one of the key factors behind his sustained success in the tournament.
While playoff success and the much anticipated IPL trophy continues to elude Virat Kohli, he has had incredible individual success as a batter in the league.
Virat Kohli holds several prestigious records in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), both as a batter and as a captain. His consistency, versatility, and leadership have made him a cornerstone of the IPL. Let's take a look at some of his most notable IPL records:
Virat Kohli is the all-time highest run-scorer in the IPL with a staggering 8004 runs in 252 matches.
Kohli holds the record for the most centuries (8) and fifties (55) in IPL history.
His most exceptional season came in 2016, where he scored 973 runs, which remains the highest run tally in a single season.
Over the years, Virat Kohli has played numerous awe inspiring knocks in his IPL tenure. However, none of his innings broke the bench mark for T20 batting than the one against Kings XI Punjab (Now Punjab Kings) back in 2016.
In a much anticipated encounter at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, rain played a spoilsport and the match was reduced to 15 overs per innings. Royal Challengers Bengaluru were batting first and Virat Kohli hit a different tier altogether. Inside 12 overs, Virat Kohli raced to his century leaving everyone stunned.
With an astonishing strike rate of 224, Virat Kohli scored 113 runs in mere 50 balls. To make it even more impressive, Kohli was suffering with a thumb injury and after scoring his century he pointed to his thumb while celebrating.
As Virat Kohli enters his 18th season in the most valuable cricket league in the world, age is not on his side. At 36 years old, Kohli is not getting any younger hence the Championship window is getting shorter. King Kohli has had one of the most storied IPL careers and RCB fans will be hoping that the 18th season could finally be the year for the number 18’s IPL curse to end.
Having already been to the IPL final three times in his career and ending up on losing sides, Virat Kohli needs one final push to cement his legacy in IPL and Royal Challengers Bengaluru history.
The 18th season of the Tata IPL 2025 is all set to start from the 22nd of March with the mouthwatering clash between reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
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