Virat Kohli
Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli, on Wednesday, became the second batsman to hit 500 or more boundaries in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 31-year-old achieved this impressive milestone during RCB's comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders at Abu Dhabi.
Chasing a modest total of 84 runs, Kohli remained unbeaten on 18 as RCB sailed to the victory with 39 deliveries to spare. Kohli hit two boundaries during his unbeaten knock to pave his way into this elite list of batsmen. He achieved this feat after hitting a four towards deep mid-wicket off a length delivery bowled by Lockie Ferguson. It was Kohli's 187th appearance in the IPL.
The first in the list is Delhi Capitals' Shikhar Dhawan, with 575 fours to his name. Kohli is currently sitting second, followed by Chennai Super Kings' Suresh Raina who is seven boundaries away from touching the 500-mark.
Raina is followed by former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Gautam Gambhir, who has 491 fours under his belt. The next three names in the list are David Warner (485), Rohit Sharma (453) and Robin Uthappa (449).
Kohli might be second in the list of most IPL boundaries but he stands head and shoulders above others in the table of highest run-scorers. The prolific batsman, in his illustrious IPL journey, has scored 5777 runs including five centuries. He has been associated with the Bangalore franchise since the tournament's inception and his batting exploits have flourished with every passing season.
At present, Kohli is the leading run-scorer in the IPL, followed by Raina (5368 runs), Rohit (5,158 runs), Dhawan (5,044), and Warner (5,037 runs).
"The management has brought in a proper culture. We have a plan A, we have a plan B, and people are executing it that's why it's looking good. Contrary to the public belief, I don't think a lot of people have belief in RCB. I do, guys in the changeroom do and that's all that matters. We are just here to execute our plans in place. We do have the skills," said Kohli after decimating KKR.
After a three-day break, Kohli's troops are slated to lock horns with MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. With seven victories in 10 games this season, RCB are currently sitting second in the points table.
