IPL: 3 Indian players who can break Virat Kohli's 973 runs record

Former Indian cricket skipper Virat Kohli was in the form of his life during the 2016 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The right-handed batter scored 973 runs with the bat as he led his Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to the finals. Unfortunately, RCB lost the final to Sunrisers Hyderabad in front of their home fans. 

The 973 runs scored by Kohli is still a record for the most runs by a batter in a single season of IPL. The closest anyone has come close to this record is when Jos Buttler scored 863 runs during the IPL 2022 season. The following season Shubman Gill went past Buttler to have yet another amazing season with the bat. 

Gujarat Titans opener scored 893 runs from 17 matches with three centuries and four fifties. The right-handed batter had an average of 59 with a strike rate of 157 to become the closest to Kohli’s record. In fact, no batter has scored more than 900 runs in a season in the IPL after the feat achieved by the former RCB skipper. 

Here are the top 3 batters who could break the 973 runs in a season record set by Virat Kohli:

3. Ruturaj Gaikwad – Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has played a total of 66 matches so far and scored 2380 runs. The right-handed batter has been one of the most consistent batters ever since his debut in 2020. After scoring 204 runs from 6 matches in his debut season, Gaikwad scored 635 runs and played a key role in CSK winning the title in 2021.

The 2022 season was below par for Ruturaj Gaikwad where he scored just 368 runs from 14 matches. The next two seasons have seen Gaikwad score more than 500 runs each. The 27-year-old can be a leading candidate for an Indian player to break Kohli’s 973 run record. 

2. Yashasvi Jaiswal – Rajasthan Royals 

Young batting sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal is being touted as a leading Indian player to break Kohli’s 973-run record. The left-handed batter has been in top form across formats in 2024. The youngster has been a mainstay for his IPL side Rajasthan Royals. With Rahul Dravid taking over as the coach one can expect Jaiswal to become an even more dangerous batter.

Yashasvi Jaiswal played 3 games in IPL 2020 season and scored 40 runs. The next two IPL editions saw Jaiswal score over 200 runs before scoring 625 runs in the IPL 2023 season. This year, Jaiswal began slowly but once he scored a century against Mumbai Indians there was no stopping the youngster. 

1. Shubman Gill – Gujarat Titans

Indian youngster Shubman Gill has been one of the best batters in the IPL in the last few years. His run scoring in the last few seasons has seen him become a credible challenger to the 973 run record scored by Virat Kohli during the 2016 season. Shubman Gill began his IPL journey in 2018 and scored 203 runs and followed it up with 296 runs in the next season. His first big season was in 2020 where he scored 440 runs.

The following campaign saw the right-handed batter amass 478 runs with a further 483 runs in the title winning season for Gujarat in 2022. IPL 2023 saw the blade of Shubman Gill score 890 runs with 3 centuries and 4 fifties and come close to 900 runs. IPL 2024 season saw Gill become the skipper of the side and score 426 runs which was seen as underwhelming considering his talents. 

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