Virat Kohli on Monday became the first player to play 200 matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for a single franchise when he came out for the toss ahead of the game between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Abu Dhabi. Overall, Kohli was the fifth cricketer to make 200 appearances in the tournament.
Kohli joined MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma and Dinesh Karthik in IPL’s 200-club. With 212 matches, Dhoni leads the list of most matches in the IPL, ahead of Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Rohit (207), KKR’s Karthik (203) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team mate Raina (203).
Having scored over 6,000 runs in the IPL, the 32-year-old Kohli is also the leading run-scorer in the league. He has scored five centuries in the tournament, one less than Punjab Kings’ Chris Gayle, who holds the record of most tons in the IPL.
Rohit (Deccan Chargers & MI) and Raina (CSK & Gujarat Lions) have also played for two franchises while KKR’s Karthik has played for Delhi Capitals (DC), Gujarat Lions (GL), Punjab Kings (PK), MI and RCB in the past.
On Sunday, Kohli announced that he would step down as RCB’s captain at the end of the underway season. He has been at the helm of RCB since 2011. Under his captaincy, RCB reached the final once but ended up losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2016.
“It has been a great and inspiring journey, captaining a talented bunch of players in the RCB squad. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the RCB management, coaches, support staff, players, and the entire RCB family, who have been instrumental in the growth of the franchise over the years.
Many congratulations to @imVkohli who is all set to play his 200th IPL game for @RCBTweets ??
He now becomes the 5th player to play 200 IPL games.#VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/wuIDVDu1Uf
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) September 20, 2021
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