IPL 2026: Virat Kohli scripts history, becomes the first player to feature in all 19 seasons of the Indian Premier League

Bengaluru, March 28 — In a moment that will be etched into IPL folklore, Virat Kohli walked out at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday evening and, with that single stride across the rope, became the first cricketer ever to appear in all 19 editions of the tournament. The milestone arrived during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s lung-opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Kohli marked it in signature style: an unbeaten 69 off 38 balls that piloted the hosts to a commanding six-wicket victory.

Chasing 202, RCB never allowed the asking rate to climb beyond reach. Devdutt Padikkal provided the early rocket fuel, blistering 61 from 26 deliveries and reaching his fifty in only 21 balls. His innings featured back-to-back leg-side sixes off David Payne and a carved four-six combo off Harsh Dubey, but it was Kohli who steered the chase with surgical precision. The 37-year-old blended vintage drives, wristy flicks and his trademark swat shot to raise a 33-ball half-century, then stayed till the finish as RCB wrapped up proceedings in 15.4 overs.

The pair’s 101-run second-wicket stand came in just 45 balls, shrinking a once-steep target into a formality. Brief flutters followed the departures of Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (31 off 12) and Jitesh Sharma, yet Kohli’s presence ensured the result was never in doubt.

Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad had threatened to set a steeper bar. Reduced to 29 for three by Jacob Duffy’s disciplined new-ball burst—3 for 22 on a pitch that had not seen top-flight cricket in almost ten months—SRH were revived by stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan. The wicket-keeper batter smashed 8 fours and 5 sixes in a 38-ball 80, sharing a 97-run fourth-wicket alliance with Heinrich Klaasen (31). Kishan’s blitz ended with a jaw-dropping one-handed grab by Phil Salt at deep backward point, but Aniket Verma kept swinging, finishing 43 not out off 19 after Kohli had shelled him on 26.

Yet all sub-plots were overshadowed by the headline act. As fireworks erupted beyond the stadium roof, Kohli acknowledged a capacity crowd that had witnessed more than a routine season starter: they had seen the league’s most enduring participant add another indelible chapter to its history books.