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The TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 saw some of the best cricketers step up and some amazing young cricketers. However, among all the likes of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Virat Kohli has also been in the limelight for his amazing dedication towards the game, and this season, the fans have seen a new avatar of the former India captain in the rich cash league.
Virat Kohli is one of the finest cricketers in the IPL. The former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper was yet again standing tall for his franchise, consistently scoring runs throughout this season. The 37-year-old created some records in the recently concluded season. He became the most capped player to play the league and also for one franchise only.
Virat Kohli the best chaser in World Cricket
Kohli will be next in action for the ODI series against Afghanistan. Ahead of that, he has been spending time with his family. Before the series, former Australia World Cup-winning captain Michael Clarke had dropped his comment on the 'Chase Master’s' hunger and passion towards the game at this age as well.
He chooses Virat Kohli as the greatest ever white-ball cricketer in the history of the game, ignoring the great Sachin Tendulkar. The two of the stalwarts have redefined the game of cricket in different eras. Kohli has been the best chaser in world cricket across the white-ball format. He has an astonishing ODI win percentage of roughly 60.5% in successful run chases.
He's like a 15-year-old kid- Michael Clarke
It was displayed in the IPL 2026 final against GT when he played a knock of 75* runs and took his team, RCB, home, earning them their second IPL trophy. He was awarded the Player of the Match for his amazing innings in the final as RCB won the game by 5 wickets.
Michael Clarke said on Beyond23Cricket, "When you got someone like Virat Kohli, that energy. He's like a 15-year-old kid in regard to his energy on the field, mate. He's still got that aggression. He's still so bubbly. He's still got that intent". "Virat Kohli is the greatest white ball player this game has ever seen. He is the greatest run chaser this game has ever seen."
Virat Kohli had a stellar IPL 2026 season
Virat scored 675 runs this season with an average of 56.25 and a strike rate of 165.84 in 16 innings. The Chase Master in this IPL broke several records, becoming the first batter to score 9000 runs in the tournament, and followed a fastest half century in his career, which came in 25 balls in the final itself.
Kohli became the only player to score 600+ runs across four consecutive IPL seasons. In 2025, the veteran batter had scored 657 runs in 15 innings, followed by 2024, when he had scored 741 runs in 15 innings, while in 2023, he had totaled 639 runs in 14 innings. This showcases his unreal consistency in the shortest format of the game and also in the white-ball format.
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