Virat Kohli vs Rahul Dravid - comparing their stats after 89 IPL matches

Since the inception of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have been home to some of India's finest cricketing talents. Among them, two standout names deserve special mention.

The first is Rahul Dravid, the legendary Indian cricketer and RCB’s first-ever skipper, who laid the foundation for the franchise in its early days.

The second, and arguably the most iconic, is Virat Kohli. At 36, Kohli continues to be a driving force for RCB, holding the records for the most matches captained for the franchise and the most runs scored in IPL history.

Despite RCB still chasing their first IPL title, the team commands a massive fan following, thanks in large part to the cricketing legends who have worn the RCB jersey.

In this article, we take a closer look at the numbers—comparing the IPL stats of Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli after 89 matches.

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Comparing the stats of Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid after 89 IPL matches

#1 Most runs

Veteran batter Virat Kohli has appeared in 263 IPL matches, amassing a record 8,509 runs in 255 innings at an average of 39.57 and a strike rate of 132.60. His tally includes 62 half-centuries and eight centuries—the most by any player in the tournament— with a top score of an unbeaten 113. Notably, in his first 89 IPL games, Kohli had scored 2,044 runs.

Player	Matches	Innings	Runs
Virat Kohli	89	81	2044
Rahul Dravid	89	82	2174

In comparison, Rahul Dravid retired from the IPL after the 2013 season, having played 89 matches and scored 2,174 runs.

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#2 Average and Strike rate

After his first 89 IPL matches, Virat Kohli had an average of 29.62 and a strike rate of 121.16, reflecting some early challenges in his IPL journey.

Player	Matches	Average	Strike rate
Virat Kohli	89	29.62	121.16
Rahul Dravid	89	28.23	115.51

Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid, who played 89 matches in his IPL career, finished with an average of 28.23 and a strike rate of 115.51—figures that are fairly comparable to Kohli’s early numbers.

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#3 Most 50-plus scores

Virat Kohli registered 11 half-centuries in his first 89 IPL matches. During this period, his highest score was an unbeaten 93 off 47 balls against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during the 2013 season.

Player	Matches	Fifties	Hundreds	Highest score
Virat Kohli	89	11	0	93*
Rahul Dravid	89	11	0	75*

Similarly, Rahul Dravid also scored 11 fifties in his 89-match IPL career. His highest came in the 2008 season while playing for RCB, when he struck an unbeaten 75 off 36 balls against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

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#4 Runs in a winning cause

During Virat Kohli’s first 89 IPL matches, his team emerged victorious in 47 of those games. In these wins, he scored 1,097 runs from 41 innings at an average of 34.28 and a strike rate of 127.62, including five half-centuries.

Player	Innings	Runs	Average	Strike rate
Virat Kohli	41	1097	34.28	127.62
Rahul Dravid	37	1092	32.12	113.87

Meanwhile, across Rahul Dravid’s 89-match IPL career, he was on the winning side 43 times. In those victories, he amassed 1,092 runs from 37 innings at an average of 32.12 and a strike rate of 113.87, also registering five fifties.