Virat Kohli enjoyed a memorable 2025, finally lifting the IPL trophy with Royal Challengers Bengaluru while also winning the Champions Trophy with India. He rounded off the year in style by scoring two centuries against South Africa in India’s final ODI series. With that momentum behind him, 2026 promises to be another potentially historic year for the former Indian captain.

One of the biggest milestones within Kohli’s reach is becoming the first batter to score 9,000 runs in the Indian Premier League. Kohli currently has 8,661 runs in 259 IPL innings and needs just 339 more runs in the 2026 season to reach the landmark. He is already the tournament’s highest run-scorer, well ahead of second-placed Rohit Sharma, who has 7,046 runs.

Remarkably, Kohli has represented only one franchise — Royal Challengers Bengaluru — throughout his IPL career. He has also been a model of consistency, scoring more than 600 runs in each of the last three IPL seasons.

Kohli is also closing in on a major ODI milestone. With 14,557 runs in 296 innings, he is just 443 runs away from becoming only the second batter in history to reach 15,000 ODI runs. Sachin Tendulkar remains the only player to have crossed that mark, with 18,426 runs.

Another significant achievement could come early in 2026, when India face New Zealand. Kohli currently has 27,975 runs across Tests, ODIs, and T20 internationals. With just 42 more runs, he will overtake Kumar Sangakkara (28,016 runs) to become the second-highest run-scorer in international cricket, trailing only Tendulkar.

With form, fitness, and motivation still on his side, 2026 could further cement Virat Kohli’s status as one of the greatest batters the game has ever seen.