Virat Kohli 1st to play 200 games for a single IPL franchise

New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Virat Kohli has become the first player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to feature in 200 matches for a single franchise.

Kohli achieved the feat on Thursday during RCB’s eight-wicket defeat against the Kings XI Punjab at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the ongoing season of the cash-rich tournament.

The RCB skipper has played 185 matches for the franchise in the IPL, in addition to 15 appearances for the Bengaluru-based franchise in the now defunct Champions League T20. The 31-year-old is the leading run-scorer in the IPL history, accumulating 5,716 runs in 185 matches.

“RCB means a lot to me, not many understand that emotion. 200 games for them is unbelievable, I wouldn’t have believed it in 2008. It is an honour, they’ve kept me and I have stayed on,” Kohli had said before the start of RCB’s game against Kings XI.

Meanwhile, the Kings XI Punjab batsmen powered them to the thumping verdict against RCB at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium after five straight defeats. It was the KL Rahul-led team’s second victory of the season and they currently languish at the bottom of the table.

After restricting RCB to a moderate 171/6 at the batting heaven in Sharjah, Punjab were bolstered by skipper Rahul’s (61 not out) and Chris Gayle’s (53) half-centuries.

Opener Mayank Agarwal’s blistering 25-ball knock of 45 runs had also contributed to the cause before Punjab finished the chase in the very last ball of their innings.