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This season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) is proving to be like a golden dream for the great batsman Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Run Machine Kohli is currently in the best form of his career and has made another historic record in his name this season. He has become the sixth batsman in IPL history to score 600 or more runs in a single season. Since 2023, he has been crossing this magical figure every season (4 consecutive times). Despite this incredible success, there is one statistic that does not match up to King Kohli’s stature and that is his very mediocre record in the knockout or playoff matches of the IPL. For the last 10 years, Virat Kohli has not been able to score a single half-century in the IPL playoffs, but this time in the final, he will have the golden opportunity to end this unwanted drought.
RCB’s resounding victory in Qualifier 1, entry into the finals
In the first qualifier match of IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bangalore have won the direct ticket to the final by defeating Gujarat Titans (GT) by a huge margin of 92 runs. Batting first in this match, RCB scored a huge score of 254 runs after losing 5 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. For RCB, captain Rajat Patidar played an unbeaten and explosive inning of 93 runs with the help of 9 sixes and 5 fours in just 33 balls, while Krunal Pandya also scored 43 runs in 28 balls.
Opener Virat Kohli also gave an aggressive start to the team, scoring 43 runs in 25 balls, which included 5 fours and a skyscraper six. Later, RCB bowlers wreaked havoc, bowling out Gujarat Titans for 162 runs and entered the title match with a bang.
Kohli’s performance in the playoffs: Waiting for a big innings for more than 10 years
Virat Kohli’s bat, which scores a lot of runs in regular matches, becomes quiet in the knockout matches of IPL playoffs. Talking about statistics, Kohli has played a total of 18 IPL playoff matches in his career so far, in which he has been able to score only 439 runs. During this period, only two half-centuries have come from his bat, while he has also been out once on zero (duck).
Virat Kohli’s last half-century in the IPL playoffs was in 2016, when he played a brilliant inning of 54 runs in the final match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). However, SRH won the title by winning that match. At the same time, in the playoffs, he scored his first half-century in Qualifier 1 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the year 2011, where he scored unbeaten 70 runs. Kohli, who has scored 67 half-centuries and 9 centuries in his entire IPL career, has not been able to score a single century in 18 matches of the playoffs till date.
Virat Kohli’s ‘Virat’ avatar in IPL 2026
If we look at the overall performance of King Kohli this season, he looks very dangerous. In the 15 matches played so far, he has scored 600 runs with an excellent average of 50.00 and an unmatched strike rate of 164.38. In this season, he has scored a brilliant century and 4 excellent half-centuries. He is also leading in the race for Orange Cap. In such a situation, the fans of RCB have full hope that Virat Kohli will continue his form in the great final match and will end this 10-year long playoff drought and make the team champion.
A look: Virat Kohli’s journey so far in the IPL playoffs
The statistics of the innings played by Virat Kohli in the IPL playoff matches played from 2009 to 2026 are as follows:
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vs chennai super kings – Semi-final (2009): 24 runs (not out)
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vs Deccan Chargers – Final (2009): 7 runs
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vs mumbai indians – Semifinal (2010): 9 runs
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vs chennai super kings – Qualifier 1 (2011): 70 runs (not out)
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vs mumbai indians – Qualifier 2 (2011): 8 runs
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vs chennai super kings – Final (2011): 35 runs
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vs rajasthan royals – Eliminator (2015): 12 runs
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vs chennai super kings – Qualifier 2 (2015): 12 runs
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vs gujarat lions – Qualifier 1 (2016): 0 runs
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vs sunrisers hyderabad – Final (2016): 54 runs
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vs sunrisers hyderabad – Eliminator (2020): 6 runs
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vs Kolkata Knight Riders – Eliminator (2021): 39 runs
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vs Lucknow Super Giants – Eliminator (2022): 25 runs
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vs rajasthan royals – Qualifier 2 (2022): 7 runs
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vs rajasthan royals – Eliminator (2024): 33 runs
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vs punjab kings – Qualifier 1 (2025): 12 runs
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vs punjab kings – Final (2025): 43 runs
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vs gujarat titans – Qualifier 1 (2026): 43 runs
