Virat Kohli joins Chris Gayle, Shoaib Malik in elite list of T20 batters

Indian batter, Virat Kohli, achieved another remarkable milestone on Monday as he became the first Indian cricketer to reach 13,000 runs in T20 cricket. 

Kohli reached this feat during the Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. The 36-year-old needed just 17 runs to surpass the 13,000-run mark but went on to score a match-winning 67 runs off 42 balls, including 8 fours and two sixes. 

With this knock, Kohli joined an elite list of batters who have scored 13,000 or more runs in T20 cricket. He became the fifth player to achieve this milestone, joining the ranks of West Indies’ Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard, England’s Alex Hales, and Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik.

Kohli also became the only Indian batter to have accumulated 13,000 runs in T20s and is the second-fastest to reach this landmark in terms of innings. Chris Gayle holds the record for being the fastest to 13,000 T20 runs, completing the milestone in 381 innings, just five innings fewer than Kohli's 386 innings.

Fastest batters to score 13,000 runs in men’s T20s:

• Chris Gayle – 381 innings
• Virat Kohli – 386 innings
• Alex Hales – 474 innings
• Shoaib Malik – 487 innings
• Kieron Pollard – 594 innings

Kohli's quickfire innings helped RCB secure a memorable 12-run victory over Mumbai Indians. This win marked RCB's first-ever victory at the Wankhede Stadium against Mumbai Indians in 10 years. Kohli’s knock was supported by Krunal Pandya’s outstanding four-wicket haul.

With this win, RCB strengthened their position in the IPL 2025 standings, moving to third place with six points from four matches. Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, remain in eighth place with only two points from five games.