What's next for Virat Kohli after IPL 2026? Know here
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Virat Kohli has been the highest run-scorer for RCB for the third consecutive season, with 675 runs in IPL 2026.
Virat Kohli has been synonymous with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru for over a decade now. He is the highest run-scorer in the league’s history, let alone RCB’s.
Captaining the side for close to a decade, Virat left captaincy ahead of the 2022 IPL season. But that did not diminish his impact on the team, not just with his batting but more importantly with his presence. Since 2025, when he announced his Test retirement, a different version of Virat has been unleashed.
He had limited his power-hitting due to the demands of the game, but ever since he has been freed from that, it has all been about witnessing Virat Kohli 2.0. This season, his strike rate was the highest it has ever been (165+).
He was scoring boundaries for fun, maximising powerplays, and changing gears at will. In the 9 matches in which he stayed beyond the powerplay and scored more than 40 runs, RCB won all of them, such has been his impact.
After a meticulous season of franchise cricket, having played 16 matches, Virat Kohli now heads towards the international calendar. With the Cricket World Cup 2027 coming up in a year, the Indian Cricket Team‘s preparations will begin with the upcoming ODI series.
Virat looks in pristine form and is batting with more clarity and freedom than he ever did. His presence at that No. 3 spot will be the key going to South Africa next year.
Kohli will play again within two weeks
With the ODI series against Afghanistan coming up, Virat Kohli will be seen in action from 13th June. This is a three-match ODI series against the neighbours. The three games will be played in Dharamshala, Lucknow and Chennai, respectively.
Apart from the upcoming ODI series, Virat will be taking the field almost every month till the end of this year, with four more ODI series queued up, including the away series vs England and New Zealand.
Since Virat now plays only the 50-over format in international cricket, he can also be seen playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy to be held in December-January.
Virat was awarded the Player of the Match in the Final of IPL 2026 for his blistering 75 off 42, where he also scored his fastest-ever IPL half-century in merely 25 deliveries.
In conversation with Ravi Shastri at the post-match presentation, Kohli made a remark which sums up his presence and longevity in this sport: “Come the big situation, you need the big guys to step up, and that’s exactly what we did.”
Who was the Player of the Match in the IPL 2026 final?
Virat was awarded the Player of the Match in the Final of IPL 2026 for his blistering 75 off 42.
How many runs has Virat Kohli scored in IPL 2026?
Virat scored 675 runs at a strike rate of 165 in IPL 2026.
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Cricket runs in the blood of Indians — and that’s something he truly believes in. A law student with a lifelong connection to the game, he has followed cricket passionately since his school days. Like countless young fans, he first experienced the sport on the field before deepening his understanding through constant watching, reading, and conversations around the game. Writing became a natural extension of that passion, bringing a “Pavilion Perspective” to his work — capturing how fans experience matches through their own lens.