Batting maestro Virat Kohli made history on Saturday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru by becoming the first player to score 3000 runs at a single venue in the IPL. In a do-or-die match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Kohli’s strong start helped Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) secure a spot in the playoffs. The star batter achieved this milestone in the third over by smashing a couple of sixes, marking yet another significant achievement in his illustrious career.
Kohli, who has been in remarkable form this season, continued his impressive performance, remaining unbeaten on 19 off just 9 balls before rain interrupted play in Bengaluru. His quickfire innings included two sixes and a four, keeping RCB’s momentum intact.
Most Runs at a Venue in IPL:
- 3005 runs* – Virat Kohli at M Chinnaswamy Stadium
- 2295 runs – Rohit Sharma at Wankhede Stadium
- 1960 runs – AB de Villiers at M Chinnaswamy Stadium
Despite the rainy weather prediction, the match started on time. However, the drizzle soon began, forcing the umpires to halt the game after three overs with RCB at 31/0.
Virat Kohli’s Stellar Record on May 18 in IPL:
- 56(29) vs CSK* – Bengaluru 2013
- 27(29) vs CSK – Ranchi 2015
- 113(50) vs PK – Bengaluru 2016
- 100(63) vs SRH – Hyderabad 2023
Earlier, Kohli spoke about the possibility of playing against his former India captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, potentially for the last time in the IPL. “For fans to see him (Dhoni) play in any stadium in India is a big thing. Me & him playing again, maybe for the last time, you never know – that is a special thing,” Kohli said on Jio Cinema. “We have had some great memories, some great partnerships for India, it’s a great occasion for fans to see us together,” he added.
CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and decided to field against Faf du Plessis’ RCB in this knockout match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. RCB, standing in seventh place with 12 points and a net run rate of 0.387, needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. They had six wins in 13 matches this season. On the other hand, CSK held the fourth spot with 14 points and a net run rate of 0.528, having won seven of their 13 matches.
To qualify for the IPL 2024 playoffs, RCB needed to win the match on Saturday by at least 18 runs if they batted first and scored a minimum of 200 runs. Alternatively, they needed to win in 18.1 overs if they were chasing a target of 200 runs.
