Ace Indian batter Virat Kohli on Sunday (2) scored a magnificent 82 not out to give Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) their first win in the very first game against five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The 34-year-old looked in his vintage best as he belted the runs in just 49 balls with the help of six fours and five sixes. It was his 148-run partnership with RCB captain Faf du Plessis (73) that saw RCB overhauling the target of 172 with eight wickets and almost four overs to spare.
Kohli's 82 not out marked a special feat as it was his 50th 50-plus score in the T20 tournament and he became the first Indian cricketer to achieve it. Only David Warner, who is captaining Delhi Capitals this season, is leading with 60 such knocks. Punjab Kings captain Shikhar Dhawan is at three with 49.
Kohli has so far scored 45 fifties and five hundreds in the IPL which he has been playing since 2008 and has amassed more than 6,700 runs.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Indian cricket player Virat Kohli celebrates after scoring a half-century (50 runs) during the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on March 28, 2026Getty Images
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Krunal Pandya celebrates after taking the wicket of Punjab Kings' Josh Inglis during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 final cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on June 3, 2025. Getty Images