Bengaluru: Virat Kohli etched his name deeper into the annals of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday, becoming the first player to smash 1000 boundaries in the tournament’s rich history. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru stalwart, who has now played in all 18 IPL seasons, reached the milestone during Match 24 of IPL 2025 against Delhi Capitals at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Kohli’s iconic moment came in the fourth over of RCB’s innings when he launched DC skipper Axar Patel for a towering six over long-on, taking his tally to a staggering 1000 boundaries — comprising 721 fours and 279 sixes.
He continued to lead the list for most fours in IPL history and sits behind only Chris Gayle (357) and Rohit Sharma (282) in terms of sixes hit. With one more big knock, Kohli is poised to become only the second batter in T20 history to notch 100 half-centuries, trailing only David Warner, with 99 fifties to his name.
Despite Kohli’s historic achievement, KL Rahul stole the spotlight with a sublime 93 not out off 53 balls, guiding Delhi Capitals to a commanding six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The local hero, returning to his hometown, put on a masterclass in composure and timing, especially after DC had crumbled to 58/4 in a tricky chase of 164.
Earlier, RCB posted 163/7 after a promising start, courtesy of Phil Salt and Kohli. But Delhi’s bowling unit, led by the spin duo of Axar and Kuldeep Yadav, applied the brakes in the middle overs. RCB’s total looked competitive given the slightly sluggish pitch, but Rahul had other plans.
Alongside Tristan Stubbs, who contributed an unbeaten 38 off 23 deliveries, Rahul stitched together a record-breaking 111-run fifth-wicket stand — the highest ever for Delhi Capitals for that position. His innings was laced with seven crisp boundaries and six towering sixes, helping DC cruise home in 17.5 overs with 13 balls to spare.
(IANS)
