New Delhi: Virat Kohli, the iconic player of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), made history during the IPL 2026 match against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on April 12. Kohli became the first batter to score 1,000 runs against the Mumbai Indians in T20 cricket.
Entering the match, Kohli needed just 20 runs to reach the milestone, having accumulated 980 runs against Mumbai in previous encounters. He achieved this feat quickly, securing the necessary runs in the fourth over with a couple of runs off the final delivery bowled by Jasprit Bumrah. Kohli already held the title of leading run-scorer against MI in T20 matches, with KL Rahul closely following at 977 runs across 21 innings.
Most runs against MI in T20s:
- Virat Kohli: 1,030 runs in 36 innings
- KL Rahul: 977 runs in 21 innings
- Shikhar Dhawan: 901 runs in 28 innings
- Ajinkya Rahane: 888 runs in 29 innings
- Suresh Raina: 850 runs in 36 innings
In addition, Kohli reached his fifty off 37 balls, playing a pivotal role in anchoring the innings as Phil Salt and Rajat Patidar aggressively attacked the Mumbai bowling attack. This marked Kohli’s seventh fifty-plus score against MI, equating him with others for the joint second-most in IPL history.
Most 50+ scores vs MI in IPL:
- KL Rahul: 9
- Suresh Raina: 7
- David Warner: 7
- Virat Kohli: 7
The Mumbai Indians won the toss and opted to bowl first against RCB. MI skipper Hardik Pandya explained, “We’re going to bowl first. Looks like a good track. We played the first game on the other pitch; this looks similar. It’s always good to bat second here. I think it’s a big game. Just want to come out and play our best cricket, do the things we’ve spoken about in the meetings, and just enjoy the sport.” He noted the advantages of chasing at Wankhede, particularly with dew conditions later in the game. Hardik confirmed that Mayank Markande and Mitchell Santner would replace Chahar and Ghazanfar in the squad.
