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The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is all set to kick off from March 28. Ahead of the league, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru`s (RCB) director of cricket, Mo Bobat, heaped praise on the franchise`s stalwart Virat Kohli.
He said Kohli will forever be RCB`s icon, considering his record in the cash-rich league.
“Virat Kohli, obviously, I think he`ll forever be the icon and the hero of this team. I don`t think that`s going to go away, and he deserves that. His track record is incredible,” he said.
“I remember at one point last season seeing his stats when he got to however many runs it was close to 9,000 runs, 18 years wearing just one shirt. That`s 500 runs a season. It`s actually ridiculous. For seven years or something like that, some players would be happy with a 500-run season. He averages 500 runs a season for 18 years. It`s actually ridiculous. So, you can`t ignore that,” added Bobat.
Indian Premier League: Virat Kohli`s statistics
So far, having represented RCB in all 18 seasons of the IPL, Kohli has garnered 8661 runs with a top score of an unbeaten 113 runs. He is also the league’s leading run-scorer, with eight centuries and 63 half-centuries.
His standout performance was in 2016, setting a record of 973 runs in a single season.
In the 2025 edition of the IPL, RCB, under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar, clinched the title. Speaking about Patidar’s captaincy, Bobat hinted at the 32-year-old cricketer continuing as captain in the near future, adding that both him and head coach Andy Flower have taken the former RCB skipper Kohli into confidence.
“Andy and I met him (Kohli) in London not long after the 2024 season and talked about that. He`s always ready to step forward and lead. He doesn`t need a second invitation. But we spoke at that stage about how this decision is not just about us three as people. It`s about RCB more broadly as a franchise. Its leadership maybe even beyond us. We might not be here and Rajat might be continuing as captain. So it`s a moment in time where we have to take that responsibility quite seriously,” said the RCB’s director of cricket.
(With PTI Inputs)
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