Virat Kohli is the undisputed batting king of the Indian Premier League, a Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifer who has turned loyalty into legend across 18 electrifying seasons from 2008 to 2025. With 8,661 runs off 6,519 balls, Kohli is the league’s highest-ever run-getter, firing at a strike rate of 132 and painting every corner of every ground with 771 fours and 291 towering sixes. His 63 half-centuries and 8 hundreds—topped by a blistering 113*—tell the story of a man who converts starts into statements, walking in 259 innings and delivering a match-defining fifty or hundred in roughly one out of every four trips to the crease. While he has rolled his arm over occasionally, claiming four wickets from 26 bowling innings, it is with the bat that Kohli has authored the IPL’s most enduring chronicle, forever clad in the red and gold of RCB.

James Faulkner IPL Profile: 59 wickets, 5-wicket hauls and match-winning spells for Royals & Titans Australian all-rounder James Faulkner lit up the IPL between 2011 and 2017, emerging as one of the league’s most reliable death-over specialists. Across 60 bowling innings he claimed 59 wickets at a strike-rate of 20.8 balls per scalp and twice ripped through line-ups to claim five-fors, including four separate three-wicket bursts. Operating at an economy of 8.69 despite bowling predominantly at the death, Faulkner’s mix of cutters and yorkers made him the go-to finisher for Rajasthan Royals (2013-15) and later Gujarat Titans (2016-17). With the bat Faulkner was a genuine lower-order threat. In 45 innings he smashed 527 runs at a striking 135, clearing the ropes 23 times and finding 36 fours. His highest score of 46 came in a whirlwind knock that showcased his ability to turn games inside a handful of deliveries. From debuting with Pune Warriors in 2011 to his final stint with the Titans in 2017, Faulkner’s seven-season IPL journey was defined by clutch performances: two five-wicket hauls, four three-wicket bursts and countless tight overs when 12 runs an over looked inevitable.

Note: This overview is partially generated using AI and is based on statistical data. Please verify with official sources for complete accuracy.