Virat Kohli Set to Make IPL History Against Gujarat Titans

Kohli Approaches Historic Milestone

Virat Kohli is on the verge of making history as he prepares to face the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the first qualifier on May 26. With 282 matches played, he is set to become the most-capped player in the history of the IPL, a record he will hold until at least IPL 2027. Currently, he shares the record with Rohit Sharma, who has 281 caps. Rohit's season concluded when his team, the Mumbai Indians (MI), failed to advance past the league stage of IPL 2026. Previously, MS Dhoni held the record for the most matches played, with 278 appearances, but he did not participate in IPL 2026 due to a calf injury that kept him sidelined for the entire season.

Kohli is guaranteed to play at least two more matches, and if the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) lose the first qualifier but win the second, he will play a total of three matches.

Virat Kohli's Journey in the IPL

Kohli began his IPL journey with RCB in 2008, quickly becoming a standout player for the franchise, which retained him before the 2011 season. He first captained the team on a temporary basis in 2011 and was named the full-time captain before the 2013 season. In 2016, under his leadership, RCB reached the finals but lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). That year, Kohli had an exceptional season, earning the Orange Cap with a staggering 973 runs. After stepping down from captaincy in 2021, he finally secured his first IPL title in 2025 under Rajat Patidar's captaincy. With a remarkable total of 9218 runs in 281 matches, Kohli stands as the highest run-scorer in IPL history, boasting 9 centuries and 67 fifties. He is also the only player to have represented a single franchise in every season since the tournament's inception.