Breaking records is what IPL is all about and Virat Kohli's record of 973 runs in IPL 2016 is unmatched for 9 years. IPL 2025 can be the record-breaking year, as GT's opening pair is having an incredible season with the bat, shuffling the orange cap with every match.
As we are heading towards the end of the tournament, it will be a major thing to keep an eye on.
Can Shubman Gill or Sai Sudharsan break Kohli's record of most IPL runs in a single season? Or maybe it is truly unbreakable.
How big is Virat Kohli's 973-run record?

Virat Kohli set the batting standards up in IPL 2016 that everyone talks about till date. He scored 973 runs in 16 matches with an 80+ average.
He scored 4 centuries and 7 half-centuries for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, bagging the Orange cap in that season.
This is the phenomenal record of most runs in a single IPL season that no one could break since 2016.
Read Also: Most Runs in IPL History: Virat Kohli leading the charts
Shubman Gill aims for the TOP

The only player who ever came to Kohli's record is Shubman Gill, with his 890-run season in IPL 2023. He is having another successful one in IPL 2025 and has already surpassed the 600-run mark.
The way Gill is firing this season for Gujarat Titans, he might just break the record and get in top. He scored 601 runs in 12 matches with 6 half-centuries to his name so far.
Calculating the remaining target for Shubham Gill
With potentially 5 innings left (2 league matches + playoffs), the race is heating up. This is subject to GT to lose Qualifier 1 and get an extra innings to go play for the IPL title.
- Required: 974-601 = 373 runs more (to break Kohli's record)
- Required Avg for next 5 innings: 74.6 runs per inning
- Required Avg if they get 4 innings to play: 93.25 runs per inning
Read Also: Most Fifty Plus Scores in IPL by an Opener Since Gill's Debut
Sai Sudharsan's rising form

Sai Sudharsan is currently the leading run-scorer in the race for Orange Cap in IPL 2025. He scored 617 runs in 12 matches, with 1 century and 5 fifties to his name.
This rising star has remarkable potential to with the kind of explosive form he has right now.
Calculating the remaining target for Sai Sudharsan
As for GT, Sudharsan also gets the same number of innings as Gill. It is either 2 league matches and 2 playoff matches, or a loss in Qualifier 1 to get an extra innings, making it 5 innings in total.
- Required: 974-617 = 357 runs more (to break Kohli's record)
- Required Avg for next 5 innings: 71.4 runs per inning
- Required Avg if they get 4 innings to play: 89.25 runs per inning
Read Also: Highest individual scores by players in IPL playoffs
A look at IPL 2025 Top 5 run-scorers
Virat Kohli stands at the top 5 race for orange cap in IPL 2025. The battle will be intense to see if someone finally breaks the mountain of runs.
Or will the king himself come closest to surpassing his own legacy?
Position | Player | Runs | Matches | Innings | Highest | Avg | SR | 100 | 50 | 4s | 6s |
1 | Sai Sudharsan | 617 | 12 | 12 | 108* | 56.09 | 156.99 | 1 | 5 | 68 | 20 |
2 | Shubham Gill | 601 | 12 | 12 | 93* | 60.10 | 155.69 | 0 | 6 | 54 | 23 |
3 | Yashasvi Jaiswal | 523 | 13 | 13 | 75 | 43.58 | 158.00 | 0 | 6 | 55 | 26 |
4 | Surya Kumar Yadav | 510 | 12 | 12 | 68* | 63.75 | 170.56 | 0 | 3 | 51 | 26 |
5 | Virat Kohli | 505 | 11 | 11 | 73* | 63.13 | 143.46 | 0 | 7 | 44 | 18 |