RCB vs KKR: Kohli beats Rohit, Raina, Gambhir in an IPL record, joins Dhawan in the list

Virat Kohli became the second batsman to hit 500 or more boundaries in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday. Kohli achieved the milestone during the IPL 2020 game between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

Also Read: IPL 2020 Full Schedule: IPL Fixtures, Date, Time and Venue

Delhi Capitals (DC) opener Shikhar Dhawan holds the record, having struck 575 fours in the IPL with RCB captain Kohli second in the list with 500 boundaries to his name. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batsman Suresh Raina is seven boundaries away from the 500-mark, but the former Indian cricketer is not a part of the ongoing IPL 2020.

Raina is followed by another former Indian batsman – Gautam Gambhir, who hit 491 fours during his 10-year IPL career.

Read Also: IPL 2020 Points Table, Indian Premier League 2020 Team Rankings

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) skipper David Warner, with 485 fours, is next in line ahead of Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma (453 boundaries), and Rajasthan Royals' Robin Uthappa (449 boundaries). Warner and Dhawan recently joined Kohli, Raina, and Rohit in the club of 5,000 runs in the IPL, while the Australian opener became the first overseas batsman to score 5,000 or more runs in the Indian T20 league.

With 5,777 runs, Kohli is the leading run-scorer in the IPL with Raina (5368 runs), Rohit (5,158 runs), Dhawan (5,044), and Warner (5,037 runs) next in the list.

Kohli claimed the boundary-milestone by hitting two fours in the RCB vs KKR game on Wednesday, which was Kohli's 187th appearance in the IPL. The RCB skipper hit his 500th four towards deep mid-wicket on the back of a length delivery outside off from Lockie Ferguson. Chasing KKR's mere target of 85, RCB sealed the victory in 13.3 overs with Kohli and Gurkeerat Singh Mann remain unbeaten. Coming in at No. 3, Gurkeerat scored 21 from 26 balls, while Kohli scored 18 from 17.

With the eight-wicket victory over KKR, RCB climbed to second place in the IPL 2020 points table. RCB now have bagged seven wins in 10 matches, same as table-toppers Delhi Capitals (DC). Having failed to make it to the playoffs the last three seasons, Kohli's RCB now are only a win away from sealing a spot in the playoffs.

During the post-match presentation, Kohli slammed RCB's critics, while he praised his teammates and the management for the team culture.

"The management have brought in a proper culture. We have a plan A, we have a plan B, and people are executing it that's why it's looking good. Contrary to the public belief, I don't think a lot of people have belief in RCB. I do, guys in the changeroom do and that's all that matters. We are just here to execute our plans in place. We do have the skills.

You can have the best players in the world but if you don't have the belief then you won't have results on the field. Morris is loving the responsibility. He likes to be in a leadership role within the team. Even against Kings, he tried to york Gayle, that showed heart. He never loses belief and that's contagious. His energy is amazing. A great, great addition to our squad. (On Siraj's performance) Last year he had a tough year. A lot of people went quite hard at him. This time around he worked hard, he was really determined. He's seeing the result now and we want him to continue," added Kohli in the same interview.

RCB next travel to Dubai and after a three-day break, they will take on MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday. With three wins in 10 matches, three-time champions CSK are at the bottom of the IPL 2020 table.