“I know my name is now attached to just promoting the game in different parts of the world when it comes to T20 cricket. I’ve still got it, I guess.” That was Kohli, a faint smile accompanying the remark, two years ago. The comment came in response to a growing narrative that had begun to cast him more as a figurehead than a force, particularly ahead of the T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies. He had just struck 77 off 49 balls in a win for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Punjab Kings, but two years later, the comment now reads less like a rebuttal and more like a marker of what was to follow. Read more: The IPL's relentless pursuit of sameness risks talent becoming just another swipe in an endless feed If anything, the numbers since have only strengthened that assertion. After striking at 139.82 in the 2023 IPL, Kohli’s returns have risen to 154.69, 144.71 and 165.50 across the next three years, with the last two seasons coming after he stepped away from T20Is. It prompts a broader question: what has changed, and how has Kohli continued to refine his batting in the shortest format? Virat Kohli - IPL strike rates 2023 2024 2025 2026 Overs 1-6 13