Virat Kohli on the verge of breaking Chris Gayle's record in IPL 2026

Royal Challengers Bengaluru stalwart Virat Kohli is chasing yet another major milestone in IPL 2026 as RCB prepare to take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their final league-stage match before the playoffs. The star batter is now on the verge of setting a new benchmark surpassing a historic record held by Chris Gayle, David Warner and KL Rahul. Sunrisers Hyderabad host table-toppers Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a high-stakes Match 67 clash tonight at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, with a direct ticket to a top-two finish on the line. Both teams have already qualified for the IPL 2026 playoffs, but the contest carries huge importance as the winner strengthens its chances of securing the valuable double-chance advantage in the playoffs alongside Gujarat Titans. The two teams have faced each other 27 times in IPL history, with SRH holding a narrow edge with 14 wins compared to RCB’s 12 victories. Earlier this season, RCB defeated a Pat Cummins-less SRH by six wickets in the tournament opener on March 28, comfortably chasing down 201 with 26 balls remaining. Kohli is currently sixth in the IPL 2026 Orange Cap standings with 542 runs in 13 innings at an impressive average of 54.20 and a strike rate of 164.74. This also marks his fourth consecutive IPL season with 500-plus runs and the ninth overall in his IPL career. Now, the RCB icon stands just 58 runs away from creating history. Kohli is currently tied with Chris Gayle, David Warner and KL Rahul for the most consecutive IPL seasons with 600-plus runs. Gayle achieved the feat in 2011, 2012, and 2013, David Warner achieved it in 2016,2017 and 2019(He was unavailable in 2018) and KL Rahul scored in 2020, 2021 and 2022, while Kohli matched the record with 600-plus campaigns in 2023, 2024, and 2025. If Kohli scores 58 or more runs against SRH, he will become the first batter in IPL history to register four consecutive seasons with 600-plus runs.

600-plus aggregates in consecutive IPL editions:

3 - Chris Gayle (2011, 2012, 2013)

3 - David Warner (2016, 2017, 2019)

3 - KL Rahul (2020, 2021, 2022)

3 - Virat Kohli (2023, 2024, 2025)

2 - Shubman Gill (2025, 2026)

2 - Sai Sudharsan (2025, 2026)

Even if Virat fails to score 58 runs against SRH, he has got opportunities in Playoffs to set a new benchmark and record in his tally.