Virat Kohli continued his red-hot run with a stunning 81-run knock against Gujarat Titans on Friday, April 24. The former RCB captain scored his highest score of IPL 2026 and also took a lead in the Orange Cap race.

Chasing a tough target of 206 runs at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli gave Royal Challengers Bengaluru a good start with a 30-ball fifty. He played a match-winning knock by smashing 81 off just 44 balls to become the third player to reach 300 runs in IPL 2026. He surpassed the likes of Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma to take a lead in the IPL 2026 Orange Cap race.

Virat Kohli leads the Orange Cap race with 328 runs in sevent innings at a strike rate of 163.18. The two-time Orange Cap winner has recorded three fifties with the help of 36 fours and 12 sixes in IPL 2026.

Virat Kohli leads the IPL 2026 Orange Cap race

Abhishek Sharma, who smashed an unbeaten 135 against Delhi yesterday, is in second place with 323 runs and is looking to win his maiden IPL Orange Cap. Abhishe's SRH teammate Heinrich Klaasen is third with 320 runs in seven innings, having scored 30-plus runs in each innings this season.

Meanwhile, Shubman Gill scored 32 runs off 24 balls against RCB and missed out on the Orange Cap. He remains in contention with 297 runs in six innings, followed by Sanju Samson with 293 runs.

Most runs in IPL 2026

  1. Virat Kohli (RCB) - 328 runs in 7 innings
  2. Abhishek Sharma (SRH) - 323 runs in 7 innings
  3. Heinrich Klaasen (SRH) - 320 runs in 7 innings
  4. Shubman Gill (GT) - 297 runs in 6 innings
  5. Sanju Samson (CSK) - 293 runs in 7 innings

Meanwhile, Anshul Kamboj leads the Purple Cap race with 14 wickets in seven innings. He is followed by Prince Yadav with 13 wickets and Eshan Malinga with 12 wickets in IPL 2026. The two-time Purple Cap winner Bhuvneshwar Kumar took a wicket against Delhi Capitals to reach 11 wickets in seven innings on Friday.

Also read: Virat Kohli creates history with 800 fours and 300 sixes in IPL