Virat Kohli is an absolute beast, and age is no bar for the prolific batter, irrespective of the format. On Sunday, the RCB stalwart scored his fastest half-century in the Indian Premier League (IPL), by breaching the fifty-run mark off just 25 deliveries. Kohli, who has been with RCB since his IPL debut, has amassed over 600 runs in the ongoing edition of the tournament and has 68 half-centuries and 9 hundreds to his name in the cash-rich league. He scored 75 off 42 to bag the player of the match in the final.
Kohli scores his fastest fifty in IPL
Virat Kohli took just 25 deliveries to go past the 50-run mark in the IPL 2026 final between GT and RCB on Sunday. He struck seven fours and two sixes en route to his half-century. Previously, his fastest fifty in the IPL was against RR in 2018, which came off 26 deliveries. Kohli was eventually dismissed by Arshad Khan for 63 runs off 37 balls, after slamming 8 fours and 2 sixes at a strike rate of 170.27. Kohli’s knock helped RCB inch closer to their 2nd consecutive IPL title.
| Balls Faced | Runs | Opposition | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 50 | Gujarat Titans | Narendra Modi Stadium | 2026 |
| 26 | 50 | Rajasthan Royals | Bengaluru | 2018 |
| 26 | 50 | Delhi Capitals | Delhi | 2018 |
| 27 | 50 | Lucknow Super Giants | Lucknow | 2025 |
Kohli has been prolific in IPL 2026, having scored over 650 runs in a season for the third consecutive time. In this season, he has five fifties and one hundred to his name, and averages over 50. Despite retiring from T20Is, the former Indian captain has proved that he is still a force to be reckoned with in the shortest format of the game. Virat finds himself sixth on the list of the players who have scored the fastest fifty in the IPL finals.
| Balls Faced | Player | Team | Opposition | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Suresh Raina | CSK | MI | Mumbai (DYP) | 2010 |
| 24 | David Warner | SRH | RCB | Bengaluru | 2016 |
| 24 | Venkatesh Iyer | KKR | SRH | Chennai | 2024 |
| 25 | Rohit Sharma | MI | CSK | Kolkata | 2015 |
| 25 | Chris Gayle | RCB | SRH | Bengaluru | 2016 |
| 25 | Virat Kohli | RCB | GT | Ahmedabad | 2026 |
Kohli finished the match off in style with a six, staying unbeaten on 75 off 42 balls, while taking RCB across the line in the run-chase. RCB have clinched their second consecutive IPL title.
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