5 Virat Kohli’s masterclass innings in IPL
Virat Kohli’s masterclass innings in IPL are dominated by his record-breaking 2016 season, with his highest being 113* vs RR (2024) and 113 vs KXIP (2016). He has 8 IPL centuries, including 109* (2016) and 100* (2019). His top 5 IPL scores include three 100+ scores and multiple high-impact knocks during his record 973-run season.
1.113 (50 balls) vs KXIP, 2016: Virat Kohli’s masterclass innings will always be remembered
In a spectacular 2016 IPL performance, Virat Kohli scored 113 off just 50 balls against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) on May 18, 2016. Despite batting with stitches in his hand, he anchored a rain-shortened 15-over game, leading RCB to a high score and eventually a crucial win, which saw him smash 12 fours and eight sixes. This is memorable among Virat Kohli’s masterclass innings.
2.113-run knock against RR– One Virat Kohli’s masterclass o stunned the world
Things didn’t go as planned for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru against the Rajasthan Royals as the latter maintained their unbeaten streak to climb up to the top of the points table. However, despite the tough times, RCB had a beacon of hope lighting their path, and it was the known face of Virat Kohli.
Virat Kohli’s masterclass innings is not sufficient to beat Rjasthan Royal. Rajasthan Royals 189 for 4 (Buttler 100*, Samson 69) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru 183 for 3 (Kohli 113*, du Plessis 44, Chahal 2-34) by six wickets
The former RCB skipper toppled a couple of crucial records during their clash against the Rajasthan Royals. Before we talk about the records, VK’s warring ton kept RCB afloat in the contest, with the others struggling to scratch the surface.
Faf du Plessis initially provided the support, but given the slightly sluggish nature of the innings, Virat had to shift gears. By the time he was in a position to accelerate, wickets kept on tumbling at the other end, which in turn resulted in Kohli slowing down the tempo just to keep up with the groove of the innings.
At the end of it all, however, he did go out on a blaze of glory with a happening final over that saw him stay unbeaten for 113. While reaching the iconic milestone, VK toppled a couple of records, to be precise, which gave him a bit of breathing room in the relentless pursuit of the feat.
This century against Rajasthan Royals was the eighth of his IPL career, the most by any batter, with the closest pursuers being his former teammate at RCB, Chris Gayle, and the second centurion of the day, Jos Buttler. Both the batters hold the feat of six centuries each.
Virat also claimed the important catch of Riyan Parag, who was removed for just four runs, which happened to be the 110th catch in his IPL career, taking him past Suresh Raina’s 109. Virat Kohli also became the fastest batter in the history of IPL to score 7500 runs. This inning is also remembered as Virat Kohli’s masterclass performence.
3.109–run against Gugarat Lions
Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers score mammoth centuries to take Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to 248 for 3 in their 20 overs against Gujarat Lions (GL) in Match 44 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 at Bangalore. It was the same old story for RCB as they lost Chris Gayle for yet another single-digit score. After that, it was the de Villiers-Kohli show as they showed no mercy on any bowler and dispatched the ball to all parts of the ground with ease. Although Kohli started cautiously, de Villiers immediately started going as his first four scoring shots were 6, 4, 6, 4.
Kohli too got his eye in and started going after the bowling. He too got to his fifty, and from there on, the two batsmen just exploded. Brendon McCullum, who is leading the GL side in the absence of Suresh Raina, made many bowling changes, but he could not do much as the ball was clearing the fence with ease.
GL, however, managed to pick up two wickets off the final two deliveries of the innings, that of Kohli for 109 and Shane Watson for a first-ball duck. They will hope that this helps them get them going when they come out to bat, looking to chase down this huge total. That inning is considered one of Virat Kohli’s masterclass tons.
4.108 (vs Rising Pune Supergiant, 2016)*– Virat Kohli’s masterclass for successful run chase
Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 108 runs off 58 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) against the Rising Pune Supergiants on May 7, 2016, in a successful run-chase. This knock is often listed as one of Virat Kohli’s masterclass IPL innings.
With half the games of the league stage of the 2016 season played out, RCB had only managed to register two victories. Having suffered three consecutive defeats, the team badly needed a quick change in fortunes.
RCB had decided to drop Chris Gayle, with the management deciding to go with Travis Head to lend solidity to the middle order. Besides, KL Rahul had shown excellent form at the top of the order while the Jamaican was away for the birth of his first child. The start was not sizzling as one would expect in a run chase, which required almost 10 an over to be scored from the outset. However, all ten wickets intact with 46 on board meant RCB could take more risks in the middle overs. The runs started to flow, and the run rate climbed as the Kohli-Rahul duo encashed 44 runs between the eighth and the eleventh overs. Kohli brought up his half-century with a flick to the onside boundary.
Just when it felt like RCB’s innings would shift into another gear, with 98 required off 9 overs, Adam Zampa wrested the control back in Pune’s favor. KL Rahul’s mistimed lofted shot found Bailey on the cover boundary. The big blow came as De Villiers attempted a similar shot and suffered the same fate as Rahul, handing a catch to Thisara Perera at long-off. The double jolt had set RCB back. But, RCB still had hope as long as the chase master Kohli was batting; Shane Watson joined the RCB captain. 89 runs were required off 7 overs. Watson took 5 boundaries off the 14th over of the innings, bowled by Thisara Perera. Watson was now taking the initiative to get the required rate down and allow Kohli to bat through to the end. He smashed Rajat Bhatia for two sixers in the following over. The 14th and the 15th overs had yielded a mammoth 39 runs.
Watson’s cameo ended when RP Singh trapped him leg-before. But his knock of 36 off 13 balls meant the required rate, which had shot up to almost 13 an over, had now been yanked down to just above 10 from the last 5 overs. The dismissal of Watson coincided with two quiet overs, which went for only 10 runs. With 40 needed off the last three overs, Dhoni brought on his trump card, Adam Zampa. He had bowled his first three overs for only 17 and picked up 2 crucial wickets. The game was to be won or lost in this over. The contest between Kohli, now batting on 70, and the Aussie leg-spinner would decide the game. Kohli slog-swept the first ball, which just cleared Rahane at deep mid-wicket. A heart-in-the-mouth moment, but six runs nevertheless. There was not much uncertainty in where the next ball went, though: a straight six over the bowler’s head. An uppish cut shot, placed just behind point, split the offside field and raced away to the boundary. Kohli had won the contest, spoiling Zampa’s figures by taking 18 runs off his last over.
Despite the big over, RCB were not home and hosed yet. With 22 needed, the momentum was on RCB’s side, but one good over could still bring the Supergiants back into the game. The first four balls of the 19th over by RP Singh had gone for only 6 runs, and 16 runs were needed off 8. Kohli hardly ever times a run chase wrong. He was not going to let this game get away, having come so close. Just when the over seemed to have brought RPS back into the game, Kohli tonked two massive sixers. The second one, a straight hit, brought up his second century of the season off only 56 balls. He fittingly finished off the game with a boundary with three balls to spare. Virat Kohli had produced another Virat Kohli’s masterclass in a run-chase.
5.100 runs vs Kolkata Knight Riders (2019):*– Virat Kohli’s masterclass to clinch 10 run victory
We are going to discuss Virat Kohli’s masterclass in IPL history. among them century against Kolkatta Knight Riders (KKR).
The results in the first half of the 2019 season of the IPL had gone pretty dismally for RCB. Despite some strong performances, the team just could not get over the line, and the first six games had all ended in defeats. The game against Kolkata Knight Riders in Bangalore seemed to have been won, only for the West Indian giant Andre Russell to spoil the party with a 13-ball 48. RCB were looking for their second win of the season when they visited the iconic Eden Gardens and were up against the Knight Riders.
KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik persisted with Kuldeep Yadav. Moeen Ali did not mind it a single bit. The long-on and mid-wicket fence was peppered consistently, the first five balls of the over going for 27 runs; Moeen Ali getting 26 of those. Kuldeep got his revenge on the final ball, but the damage had already been done. The innings, which lasted only 28 balls for 66, had a massive impact on the direction the game was going in. With 24 balls left in the innings, RCB were on 149; the innings was now moving along at more than 9 an over, a stark contrast to the first half of it.
With Moeen Ali gone, the onus was now on the set Virat Kohli to give the innings its final push. Kohli unleashed a range of classy cricket shots and power hitting to mesmerise the Eden Gardens crowd. The 17th over bowled by Harry Gurney went for 19 runs, the 18th by Narine for 10, and the penultimate over by Prasidh Krishna for 19 more. RCB’s score had leaped to 195 in the blink of an eye. Marcus Stoinis, who had the best seat in the house to witness a Virat Kohli’s masterclass was not to be left behind either as he took on Gurney successfully. Kohli, back on strike for the penultimate ball of the innings, flicked the ball away, and the boundary brought up his century. The feat was even more astonishing considering it took him 14.1 overs of the RCB innings to get the first half of his runs. RCB had reached 213/4 in their 20 overs. The second half of the innings had yielded more than twice as much as the first.
Kohli holds the record for the most runs in a single IPL season (973 in 2016) and has scored 8 centuries in total. All of these suggest that Virat Kohli’s masterclass innings are always remembered in Cricket.
Kohli is the All-Time Greatest Cricketer, who have acchieved a lot of success. Among them, Virat Kohli’s masterclass is always remembered.
