Virat Kohli’s Top 5 quickest fifties within the IPL ft. 2026 vs GT

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) opener Virat Kohli played a brilliant knock in the IPL 2026 final against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to lift his side to their second successive triumph in the T20 league. Kohli scored 75* off 42 balls, hitting nine fours and three sixes.

Bowling first after winning the toss in the final, RCB restricted GT to 155-8 as Rasikh Salam Dar claimed three wickets, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood picked up two each. In the chase, RCB got off to a terrific start as Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer (32 off 16) added 62-1 in 4.3 overs.

During his knock, Kohli brought up his fastest fifty in the IPL, getting there in just 25 balls. On that note, let’s look at the RCB batter’s five fastest fifties in the IPL.

#5 (50 off 28 balls) vs CSK in IPL 2013 – Bengaluru

Kohli reached a half-century off 28 balls against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Bengaluru in IPL 2013. In a match curtailed to eight overs per side due to rain, RCB posted 106/2 batting first, Kohli ended up remaining unbeaten on 56 off 29 balls. His knock featured six fours and four sixes.

Kohli was named Player of the Match as RCB won the game by 24 runs. The star batter also reached a 28-ball fifty against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Bengaluru in IPL 2016. He ended up scoring 113 off 50 balls, hitting 12 fours and eight sixes.

#4 (50 off 27 balls) vs LSG in IPL 2025 – Lucknow

Kohli slammed a 27-ball half-century against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Ekana Stadium in match number 70 of IPL 2025. Chasing a challenging target of 228, Kohli got RCB off to a brisk start, adding 61 for the opening wicket with Phil Salt (30 off 19). He raced away to a 27-ball 50 before eventually perishing for 54 off 30. His 59-minute knock included 10 fours.

Following Kohli’s impressive knock, Jitesh Sharma scored 85* off 33 to guide RCB home to a famous win. Earlier in the day, Rishabh Pant had slammed 118* off 61 balls for LSG.

#3 (50 off 26 balls) vs RR in IPL 2018 – Bengaluru

Kohli reached a half-century off 26 balls against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in IPL 2018. He ended up scoring 57 off 30 balls, with the aid of seven fours and two sixes. Kohli’s knock, however, went in vain as RCB lost the game by 19 runs.

Batting first, RR put up 217-4 on the board as Sanju Samson struck an unbeaten 92 off 45 balls. In the chase, RCB were held to 198-6 as Kohli could not convert his fifty into a big score, while the other batters also failed.

#2 (50 off 26 balls) vs DC in IPL 2018 – Delhi

During the IPL 2016 edition itself, Kohli reached another half-century off 26 balls against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Arun Jaitley Stadium. The RCB batter ended up smashing 70 off 40 balls, a knock which featured seven fours and three sixes as RCB chased down a target of 182 to register a five-wicket win.

After restricting DC to 181-4, RCB lost openers Parthiv Patel and Moeen Ali for single-figure scores. Kohli and AB de Villiers (72* off 37), however, added 118 runs for the third wicket. The brilliant stand ended when Kohli was caught behind off Amit Mishra’s bowling.

#1 (50 off 25 balls) vs GT in IPL 2026 – Ahmedabad

At the age of 37, Kohli registered his fastest IPL fifty. Incredibly, the knock came in the final of the 2026 edition – against GT at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. The RCB opener needed only 25 balls to reach his half-century. He was named Player of the Final for his sublime knock as RCB lifted the IPL title for the second year in a row.