Virat Kohli & Chris Gayle (Photo Source: X/Twitter)
Every franchise in the Indian Premier League has a set of players who are the quite literally the face of the franchise. As for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, it is hard to look past Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli as individuals classified in the category mentioned above.
With Kohli starting off at RCB right since the league’s inaugural season, it was not the same for Gayle. Having represented the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2009 and 2010, Gayle entered into a setup with a whole lot of established cricketers in 2011.
It never seemed that there was a difference of a whopping nine years between Kohli and Gayle, as right from the very start, the two energetic cricketers clicked with everything they did together, be it on the field or off it. The bond only grew between the two, with both of them fostering their friendship to an unexplored dimension due to the various advertisements and off-the-record events and they would be a part of.
Coming to their cricketing exploits for RCB, the duo opened the innings 28 times out of the 82 instances they played together, adn scored at a remarkable run rate of 9.05 during the time they spent at the together, amassing 1210 partnership runs. Four half-century and as many century stands were recorded between the two, proving enough ratification to the limitless threat the both of them posed to opposition franchises.
While Gayle’s last year in RCB colours came in 2017, Kohli continues to go strongly in the red jersey. Together, the duo scripted many memorable moments, however, Kohli stands a chance to eclipse the T20 behemoth’s records.
3 records of Chris Gayle Virat Kohli might break in IPL 2025
1) Three 700-plus runs seasons
2012 and 2013 were the only seasons Gayle played 15 IPL games or more. He rose to unparalleled heights as he butchered the living daylight out of the bowlers on his day. With 733 and 708 runs coming in the two seasons, Gayle instantly left a mark on the Indian league and established himself as one to watch out for.
As a matter of fact, RCB ended up in fifth position during both the seasons. It is almost certain that position on the table would have been significantly lower had the muscular Jamaican not dropped the extraordinary performances he managed to.
Kohli has also had two seasons in which he has stockpiled a total of 700 runs to date. The first one came in his 10th season with the franchise, where he shattered all milestones to register a tally of 973 runs in a season, a record which remains unsurpassed to this day. The second one came in 2024, in which registered 741 runs in IPL 2024. If he manages to notch up a similar tally, he will stand clear of Gayle’s record of two 700-plus seasons.
2) IPL century after 35
It is a well-established fact that aging results in the gradual weakening of reflexes, which does surely have an impact on skills like hand-eye coordination, which are vital in the fast-paced nature of the 20-over format. This applies even more to a quick-moving tournament like the IPL which has a gruelling schedule.
However, Gayle’s achievements underscore how top-tier cricketers can defy the usual limitations associated with aging and continue to make noteworthy contributions. Gayle, nearing 45 now, had crossed 35 when he brought about one of his customary Gayle Storms to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium against a hapless Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) outfit. His next ton came against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018, in his first season for Punjab.
Kohli has already scored one out of his eight IPL centuries post the age of 35. The knock, against the Rajasthan Royals, although coming in a losing cause, was widely applauded as Kohli scored nearly 60% of the team’s runs alone, at a commanding strike rate of 156.94. Considering Kohli’s skills and impeccable fitness, one could expect the star batter to score a few more tons in the IPL, surpassing not just Gayle, but also the likes of Adam Gilchrist and Shane Watson.
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3) Most runs as opener
There is no denying the fact that openers in T20 format enjoy the luxury of powerplay restrictions. However, there have been countless events when openers have been undone by jaffas or perished to an overaudacious shot in a bid to utilise the field restrictions.
Gayle was a natural opener from the outset, regardless of any team or format he played for. He scored 4480 out of his overall tally of 4965 runs as an opener. The rare occurrences of him coming outside that position lower were down to batting order adjustments or instances when he was not in a condition to come out due to any physical restraints.
Unlike Gayle, Kohli was never an innate opening batter. His first three seasons mostly saw him come in at numbers 5 or 6, mainly due to the prominent list of international stalwarts in RCB‘s glittery roster. This can well be reflected from his numbers, with only 54.37% of his IPL sum coming as an opener.
One of the major facets which come with being an opener in the shortest format is adaptability post the powerplay phase, something which Kohli has mastered through years. Kohli has scored 4352 runs as an opener in the IPL and is not far away from eclipsing his former teammate’s long-standing record in the league.