Virat Kohli’s IPL duck story: Why multiple dismissals for no reason hurt his season Cricket News

Some fans and experts even called it the “ball of the tournament”.For a batsman who dominated the IPL for almost two decades and scored more than 9,000 runs, Kohli’s dismissal is one of the rarest feats in franchise cricket.

The last time Kohli was dismissed for a foul in the IPL was in April 2023, when Rajasthan Royals fast bowler Trent Boult had him lbw on the first ball.Since making his IPL debut in 2008, Kohli has played 277 matches and scored 9040 runs at an average of 39.82 and a strike rate of 133.92, including eight centuries and 66 fifties.In his 269 IPL innings, Kohli has been out for a wicket only 11 times – just 4.09 per cent of his innings.What makes the record even more remarkable is the distribution of those ducks throughout his career. Six of the 11 ducks came in just two difficult seasons – 2014 and 2022 – when Kohli was dismissed three times without scoring.This leaves only five ducks in the remaining 17 seasons of the IPL.Those isolations came against Mumbai Indians in 2008, Gujarat Lions in 2016, Kolkata Knight Riders in 2017, Rajasthan Royals in 2023, and now Lucknow Supergiants in 2026.Virat Kohli’s IPL Ducks:

A number of ducks and their effect on moulting seasonsInterestingly, the seasons in which Kohli faced multiple ducks also coincided with a significant drop in his totals.In 2014, Kohli registered ducks against Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab. He ended the season with just 359 runs in 14 innings at an average of 27.61 and a strike rate of 122.10, scoring only two fifties.Then came the tough 2022 season.Kohli endured one of the toughest phases of his IPL career this year, recording three more runs — against LSG and twice against SRH. His struggles reflected heavily in his final numbers as he managed just 341 runs in 16 innings at an average of 22.73 and a strike rate of 115.98.Statistically this is one of Kohli’s poorest IPL seasons.Kohli’s duck in the chaseKohli’s latest duck also produced another surprising statistic.Widely regarded as one of the greatest chasers in cricket history, the RCB icon registered only his sixth IPL duck while batting at number two. The number appears to be slightly inflated as all three of his ducks in the 2014 season came during the run thing. Barring this unusual stint, Kohli has rarely failed while batting at number two. More notably, it was his first duck in the chase since April 2017 – ending a gap of over nine years.Despite the setback, Kohli’s IPL 2026 campaign remains on track. He has already scored 379 runs in 10 matches and looks set for another 600-plus run season after crossing the mark in each of the last three editions.Chasing Virat Kohli’s IPL duck: