Virat Kohli stamped his authority in the battle of GOATs on Monday during the MI vs RCB clash. Facing Jasprit Bumrah, the RCB ace smashed the MI spearhead for a stunning six to welcome him back from an injury layoff.
Kohli’s statement of intent
RCB lost Phil Salt early, but Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal looked in fine touch, taking the attack to Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar. With RCB looking to pile on, Hardik Pandya turned to Jasprit Bumrah to break the partnership.
Padikkal turned over the strike to Virat on the first ball. Kohli, understanding Bumrah holds the key for MI, took the attack to him, slapping him over the mid-wicket boundary for a maximum. WATCH Virat Kohli’s six here:
Strong wrists!
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 7, 2025
Perfect placement!
Real statement!#ViratKohli smashes #JaspritBumrah for a MAXIMUM at the mid-wicket fence!
Watch the LIVE actionhttps://t.co/H6co5trkpW#IPLonJioStar
#MIvRCB | LIVE NOW on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi & JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/jaSiLFJl0s
Bumrah was not pleased as he followed it up with a full pace yorker to Virat, but the RCB talisman was up for the challenge and dug it out.
Kohli’s attack worked as Hardik took Bumrah off the spell, having conceded 10 in his first over. The MI spearhead will hope to have another crack at Kohli and RCB later in the contest.
For the visitors however, Kohli has looked in imperious touch. Along with Devdutt Padikkal, RCB have amassed 73/1 in the powerplay, the highest for RCB against the Mumbai Indians.
Mumbai and Hardik Pandya need Bumrah to fire on all cylinders if they want to restrict RCB to a below-par total. Kohli will be up for the challenge, having achieved yet another milestone in T20 cricket.
Virat went past 13,000 T20 runs, becoming the only Indian to breach that mark. He’s the second fastest to the mark, only behind former RCB teammate Chris Gayle.
Kohli vs Bumrah in IPL
Virat Kohli has the upper hand when it comes to facing Jasprit Bumrah in the IPL. Before the MI vs RCB clash, Kohli had scored at a strike rate of 147 against Bumrah in 16 innings.
Bumrah however, has dismissed him five times, including four times in the last five seasons. So with the recent record favouring Bumrah, Kohli’s intentions behind setting the tone were pretty clear.
Virat Kohli scores 13000 runs
Virat went past 13,000 T20 runs, becoming the only Indian to breach that mark. He’s the second-fastest to the mark, only behind former RCB teammate Chris Gayle. The 36-year-old is currently the 5th highest run-getter in all T20 cricket, with Gayle leading the charts. Kohli’s average of 41 is also well clear of his contemporaries on the list.
Quickest to 13,000 T20 runs
- Chris Gayle – 381 innings
- Virat Kohli – 386 innings
- Alex Hales – 474 innings
- Shoaib Malik – 487 innings
- Kieron Pollard – 594 innins
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