Virat Kohli in IPL through the years: The transformation in pictures

One of the few players to have played for just one franchise throughout their IPL career, Virat Kohli has grown alongside the IPL, turning from a tenacious teenager to a modern great in ten years. His career has coincided exactly with the T20 tournament, (he made his international debut after playing in the inaugural season), and owes a lot to the league that help him shape into the star that he is now.

Apart from the technical and mental changes, Kohli has revamped himself physically as well, and the changes are noticeable throughout his timeline with the RCB.

Here’s a look at Virat Kohli through the ten seasons of IPL:

2008: Chubby-faced teenager

Kohli has never been auctioned in the history of the IPL. He was acquired by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for a nominal price of Rs.20 Lakh as part of their U-23 quota, and had no international experience whatsoever.

The chubby face and the somewhat round waistline couldn’t hide the talent, but the intensity and temperament were somewhere lacking.

The season was a big blob on his resume, with 165 runs from 13 games at an average of 15.

2009: Buried under the big names

In South Africa, Kohli was part of the RCB side that reached the finals.

The Bangalore side managed to reach the finals, courtesy some inspiring team performances, led admirably by Anil Kumble. Amidst the big names that floated in the RCB circles, Kohli, still not a regular in the Indian team got buried, with his performances getting lost under his more illustrious teammates.

2010: The beginning of the legend

Kohli carried a light stubble in his formative IPL years.

The world had started to notice him because of a few eye-catchy knocks by him in the India blue. He was still getting a hang of things in IPL, unable to do justice to his immense talent on a larger scale. He came into IPL 2010 with some confidence, Kallis Dravid promise

2011: Retained by RCB, repays faith in kind

Kohli was the only player retained by RCB in the 2011 auctions

The Royal Challengers went for a complete overhaul in the IPL 2011 auctions, retaining just one player: a masterstroke by them. Kohli thrives under the faith shown by the franchise, scoring 557 runs at an average of 46.41, with four fifties. He gave first glimpses of his class when he combined with Gayle at the top of the order, but still didn’t have the abillity to win matches single-handedly.

2012: The turning point of his career

Kohli has confessed that the 2012 IPL season was the turning point of his career

Kohli has confessed that the 2012 IPL season was the turning point of his career: a juncture where he realised he needs to be fitter and stronger, if he intended to be the best in the world.

Ray Jennings maintained that Kohli was a future captain, both for the Indian team and RCB. The RCB yet again fell tantalisingly close to qualifying for the semis, but from a personal point of view Kohli began to understand himself much better and became a different player post that.

2013: Leaner and meaner, first taste of captaincy

Kohli averaged more than 45 in 2013.

A marked change in his physique, and an improved batting style, saw Kohli score heavily in the 2013 edition, averaging more than 45 with 634 runs in 16 matches. He also got his first taste of full-time captaincy at the international level.

He finished as the third highest run getter in 2013.

He finished as the third highest run-getter that season. The look had changed as well: the biceps were more prominent, the waistline shrunk, but the aggression was as sharp as ever.

2014: The low-point

Kohli had to captain RCB through a disappointing season in 2014.

The seventh season of the IPL was a disappointing one, both for Kohli and RCB. The team had a number of stars in the side, but they ended up finishing seventh in the table. Kohli himself averaged just around 27, and vowed to come back stronger.

Later that year, he was handed over the Test captaincy after MS Dhoni’s sudden retirement. He completely changed as an international cricketer henceforth.

2015: The revival in fortunes

Post the 2015 World Cup, Kohli claimed his batting form back.

He did come back stronger, with the likes of AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle by his side to carry the team through. He managed to break the 500-run barrier in the 2015 season as well, where he led the team to the playoffs and finished as the fifth highest run-getter.

Kohli broke the 500-run barrier once again in 2015.

2016: Batting that bordered on invincibility

Kohli was in a zone of his own in 2016, first for India in the Asia Cup and the World T20, and then for the Royal Challengers in the IPL. He smacked four centuries, (he did not have even one T20 century before this), and almost single-handedly catapulted his side to the IPL finals. They stumbled at the final hurdle, but Kohli had established his reputation as one of the greats of the modern game.

Kohli injured his hand midway through the IPL, but continued to lead his side to the finals.

His facial features had become sharper, the beard became denser, and the overall physique fitter than ever.

2017: The season to forget

After flying high in the 2016 season, Kohli’s team fell flat in 2017.

The season started on the wrong foot for RCB: Kohli himself missed the first few games with a shoulder injury, AB de Villiers was unavailable for a couple of games, and Chris Gayle and Shane Watson were in horrible form. Kohli returned after a ten-day layoff, but the touch had gone.

Apart from a fluent 64, and a couple of more fifties, Kohli couldn’t repeat the golden form of last year, and with no one to help him, encountered a rut and failed to lead his side through to the playoffs.

It was one of the low-points of his career. “I have never seen something like this on a cricket field”, he confessed